On the East Side
by evilteddybear408
Summary: Living on the East Side is never easy, especially if you're Tim Shepard's sisters. [Slash, TimxDally. Chapter 22 up Jan. 21]
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** _I only own Alicia and the rest of the Shepard gang._

**Dedicated to: Caity: Eek! Mucho, MUCHO gracias for dealing with my whining and crying about Johnny's death.**

**Lynn****: Dood! I love you, Lynni! I'm going to your party as Wednesday, FYI!**

**A/N: **Well, I need to repost this under the rating _R_ because I was told by the FF.N staff that the language was too high, so it was removed. That REALLY pisses me off because other PG-13 fics say 'fuck' and they weren't taken down! GRR! (Liz combusts)

**Title:** On the East Side

**Genre:** General

**Rating:** R (Happy now?)

**Pairing:** Dally Winston/Tim Shepard

**Summary:**_ It isn't easy being a greaser girl. Alicia and Angela Shepard know this. They drink, swear, smoke and steal. But boy, do they have fun._

The shadows that fell over the alleyways were perfect for hiding in. All sorts of things thrived in the darkness; the small bits of shade, away from the Oklahoma sun. Cats, dogs and rodents found relief in the coolness.

A small gang of six greasers also stood in the shadows. Tim Shepard and his gang of friends slouched and stared around at the life passing them by. Curly Shepard was tall and lean with curly black hair and blazing eyes. Beside him was Daniel Wise, a short, skinny blond sixteen-year-old. Fifteen-year-old Karl Barnes had bleached blond hair and was a skinny as a rake. Andy Reeves was very tall and thin; his thick brown hair fell in his dark eyes.

In the midst of them was Tim. He was tall and slim with black hair and eyes. He was the leader of his large gang. Most of them were gone, either breaking the law or in jail. Winding around Tim's wrist were black tattoos. At his right side was Curly.

At Tim's left was a girl. She was tall and dark and her black hair fell down her back in unruly curls and her ebony bangs fell in her face, after brushing them away, one could see her black eyes. She was wearing a black shirt, black shoes and baggy jeans.

Tim reached down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Fuck off, Tim." She growled and pushed his hand away.

He grinned down at her. "Testy, aren't we, Ali?" He took a drag on his cigarette, flicking the ash at her.

The girl was Tim's little sister, fourteen-year-old Alicia Shepard. She hung out with her brothers, Tim and Curly. She smoked, drank, stole, swore and fought. All of Tim's gang liked her. Or they said they did; maybe they were just saying it, because they were afraid of Tim. Her twin, Angela, was more girly, but she sometimes helped in a rumble or two.

She glared up at him. "Who are we waiting for?"

"Dally. Fucker said he was going to be here ten minutes ago."

Curly looked at his older brother. "Why the hell are we meeting him?"

"Because, jackass, we're friends."

"Shame you don't have any friends, Curly." Alicia smirked. Her brother retaliated by throwing a punch at her. His fist made contact with her upper arm; she shot back with a swift kick in the groin.

As Curly lay on the ground, moaning, Alicia asked, "What are you and your 'friend' gonna do?"

Tim grinned at her. "The Socs are meeting at the drive-in. We're gonna give them a taste of their own medicine."

Alicia gave her oldest brother the once-over. "You mean yer gonna jump them? While they have a car, and can easily mow us down." She said with her dark eyebrows raised. "Tim, I love you, but you're an idiot."

He grinned again. "Well, ain't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Alicia scowled.

Curly sat up. "Ali, they won't even see it coming." He said. Imitating a Soc, he said in a snobby voice, "it's a very well-thought out plan."

"Curly, that's what you said when you climbed the telephone pole. Remember what happened?" Curly glared at her. Alicia continued. "Ya fell off, and Tim and me had to take you to the damned hospital."

"Why the fuck do I stand you?" Curly asked his sister.

Alicia smirked. "Because you know you love me." Curly glared, but he knew better than to hit her. Alicia was as tough as any of them. Tim and Curly taught her how to fight, and she helped them in many of their rumbles.

Tim pulled out a cigarette. "Hey, Andy, got a lighter?" Andy tossed it to the leader, who, after using it, passed it to Curly. Soon, everyone in the little group was smoking. The smoke wound up, and vanished into the blue sky. Curly was just showing Karl how to blow smoke rings, when a boy came over to them.

Dallas Winston's face lit up when he saw the group. "Hey, Tim." He acknowledged the others. "Curly, Danny, Andy, Alicia." His blue eyes lingered on Alicia for a moment, before snapping back to Tim. "What time is it?"

Alicia looked at her watch. "Ten after five. Why?"

"'Cause the Socs are meeting at six. Are you sure you don't wanna come?"

"Sorry, Tim, I'm not in the mood to die."

Dally grinned at her. "Aw, what's this? A Shepard, afraid to fight."

Alicia gave him a death-glare. "I ain't afraid. I know what the Socs are like, and I don't want a knife to get pulled on me."

"But, Ali, don't you carry a switchblade?" Curly asked.

"Yeah, but…"

"Then what are you afraid of?"

Alicia pondered this. She was never one to shy away from a fight. Sighing, she said, "fine, I'll go. But Tim, if they knife me, I'll skin ya."

Tim smiled at her. He and his sister spat in their hands and slapped their palms together. "Done." He agreed.

---

Tim had rounded up the rest of his gang, and now the greasers crept toward the drive-in theatre. Tim and Dally were in the lead, with the rest of the gang in single file. Alicia was in the back with Curly next to her.

"You know, Curly, yer pretty damn lucky I came." She hissed to him.

Curly gave her an idiotic grin. "Yeah, I'm _always_ lucky to have a sister like you, Alicia."

She nodded. "Damn straight." And they both started to laugh.

"Shut the fuck up back there!" Tim hissed at his siblings. They looked at each other and shook with silent laughter.

At the theatre were several fancy cars, all swarming with the upper-class jackasses, as the Shepards called them. Hanging around by the gate was Dally's gang. Two-Bit Matthews and Steve Randle, as well as the Curtis brothers, Darry, Pepsi or Coke or whatever, and that Horse kid. Alicia never understood why a parent would name their kid after a soft drink or an animal. She knew Angela liked Horse, but Alicia never found him very attractive. He was in a few of her classes, and he was always a wise ass. She did like his friend, Johnny, however, but she didn't see him.

Horse looked Alicia in the eye. His green met her black. "Hi, Alicia."

"Hey, Horse." She said. She said it sincerely, but she thought she heard Dally and Two-Bit snort at that. Horse went scarlet.

"Erm, it's Ponyboy."

Alicia felt herself go red. _Oh, fuck. Oh fuckity, fuck, fuck, FUCK._ The look Darry gave her didn't help matters, either. "Shit, I'm sorry, Ponyboy."

"It's okay. Why isn't Angela here?"

Alicia's eyebrows went up. "She's doing something else. Why?"

Ponyboy went even redder. "No reason." But Alicia knew. Ponyboy was terrified of Angela. It was kind of hard not to be. With brothers like Tim and Curly who could easily mutilate a kid for life, and with her own violent reputation, Angela was rather frightening. Besides, she had been in love with Pony for a while, so Alicia could sympathize with him.

"Okay, you two." Two-Bit said. "Let's go beat those Socs' heads in!" Alicia gave Ponyboy a small smile as she followed her brothers to one of the cars. It was a red Mustang, and she recognized it. This car carried the Socs that jumped Curly a few weeks ago.

**Flashback…**

_Alicia and Angela were walking home from the store, both smoking and gossiping. Then Angela noticed a lump on the ground. Alicia saw a shock of curly black hair and her heart sank. No matter how tough you were, if you were a greaser, your family is pretty much the only ones there for you. Curly and Tim were idiots, but they looked out for her, and she loved them. _

_"Oh, my God, Curly!" Angela cried, and the two ran for their brother. _

_"Curly… Curly…" Alicia shook him a little, before he opened his eyes._

_"Hey, Ali." He moaned. His face was beaten and bruised; he had a black eye, and his lip was split. "Oh, fuck." Curly rolled onto his side and vomited out blood and stomach acid. _

_Alicia looked over at her sister, and was amazed to see Angela was crying, silently. "Oh, Angie, don't cry." Alicia reached out to her sister. To Curly, she said, "don't worry. We'll help you." _

_"You'd better." He muttered. _

_So, Alicia called Tim, while Angela stayed with Curly, and Curly was taken care of. He wasn't beaten as bad as Johnny Cade, but he was pretty bad off. _

"Tim. What the hell are we doing?" Alicia hissed.

"We're gonna get revenge on those bastards." Tim whispered back. He grinned roguishly.

**A/N:** _So, how do you like it so far? Please tell me if I should continue!_

_Liz_


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **_Nope, I own nothing but Alicia, the Shepard gang (well, those you don't recognize), my "Addams Family Values" DVD and my Wednesday Addams T-Shirt. (On sale for $6.97 at Hot Topic, baby, yeah!) _

**Dedicated to:** **_Kelly:_**_ Oh. My. God. Kell, I heart you! I'm the popcorn fairy!_

Alicia swallowed. Her black eyes were wide with fear, and she glanced at Tim, who had a moronic grin on his dark face. She knew exactly what he was thinking. He was thinking _Oh yeah, we're gonna beat those bastards good, this time._ Curly was glaring at the red car. Pulling her masses of hair back, she set her face. Right now was a good as time as ever to pretend she was Tim.

Tim looked over at Alicia and Curly. Both had their jaws set and eyes narrowed. No matter how tough Tim got, he would always care about his sisters and brother. Tim could see in Alicia's eyes were fearful. She was terrified, both for herself and for her brothers.

_Oh. My. Fucking. God. We're all going to be killed. _

The fight started when Two-Bit went up to the red vehicle. As he opened the door, so nonchalantly, Alicia had to laugh a bit. He climbed in and shut the door. _Three… two… one._

The door to the Mustang flew open, and Two-Bit was thrown out. "What the hell do ya think you're doing, greaser?" There were five big Socs, all standing around Two-Bit. All were dressed in checkerboard shirts and clean, pressed jeans. At that moment, Curly came running out of the shadows, and hurled himself at the biggest of the Socs.

The fight began.

The Soc fighting Curly had the boy in a headlock, but Alicia grabbed him by the neck, fastening her arms tightly around him. While the Soc gasped for breath, Tim punched him in the face. The Soc's head went back and hit Alicia in the nose. She let go of him, and she fell onto the hard concrete.

Another Soc grabbed her by the shirt collar and lifted her up. "Hey, sweetheart." He said, laughing.

Thinking fast, she replied. "Hi, babe." While he was temporarily stunned, she kicked him, hard, in the knees. He bent down, to rub the bruise, and she kicked him in the face. "That's for Curl." She muttered. At that moment, an arm went around her skinny waist and arms, and a switchblade was at her throat.

_Fuck._

A voice hissed in her ear, "you a Shepard, yeah? Tim Shepard's kid sister?"

"Why?"

"Listen, I know your brother-" But he was cut off. Two-Bit had cracked him over the head with a rock. The Soc fell and dropped Alicia; she collapsed to the concrete. Two-Bit helped her up, and they jumped over the Soc and resumed the fight.

Some other Socs, disturbed by the noise, came and joined the fight. They were about twelve now. A smaller, skinny one ran at Alicia. He threw a punch at her, and she ducked, kicking him in the shins. He fought well, she had to admit, because he hit her in the face, instead of falling. Grabbing her wrist, the Soc twisted Alicia's arm up her back. She twisted herself out, and punched him in the stomach; he doubled over, winded. Taking advantage of his temporary injury, she kneed him in the face.

A huge Soc grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her arms behind her back. The small one she hit in the face began to rapidly punch her, both in the stomach and face. Alicia proceeded to kick her attacker in the stomach, but he ignored this.

She struggled, but it was useless. The blows rained down on her. And, man, this kid hit _hard_. Then she heard a familiar voice. "Get the _fuck_ off her, asshole!" Ah, yes. Good ol' Tim. Her brother was punching the big Soc in the face; the littler one had run. Alicia flung herself at the Soc, grabbing his neck, while Tim hit him.

At that moment, Steve Randle ran to Tim. "Someone phoned the fuzz."

Alicia called back, "so? We're winning!" Then she heard the sirens. Letting go of the Soc's neck, she dropped and landed on her feet. Tim grabbed her wrist and they bolted, followed closely by Curly and the others.

The group rounded the corner, and leapt behind a building, hoping that the cops didn't see them. Alicia leaned her dark head against the brick wall and slid down until she was sitting on the sidewalk. "Oh fuck." She muttered. Her hands were shaking. Tim sat beside her.

"Don't worry." He said, softly. Gently he touched the growing bruise on her cheek. For such a tough greaser, Tim could be nice when it suited him. He smiled softly at his sister.

Curly collapsed next to them. He had a black eye and his nose was bruised, but he was smiling. Lighting a cigarette, he said, "ya know, in reality, we won. We fought better and all. We just ran so we wouldn't get jailed." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Two-Bit took the lighter from him, lit a cigarette, and said, "yeah. For all the money and shit they have, we fight better."

"Yeah." Ponyboy murmured.

After a few moments of sitting in silence, ignoring the police sirens, Tim stood and stretched a bit. "Well, Curly, Alicia, I think we'd better get home soon, before ma and dad get worried." His brother and sister smirked at that. All of them knew that their parents couldn't give two shits about them. And, to be frank, they couldn't give two shits about their parents.

Slowly, the Shepards headed up the street and vanished into the shadows. Dally watched their retreating forms, wishing he could have a few moments alone with one of them in particular.

Alicia pulled her black jacket tighter around her. The days in Tulsa may have been hot, but the nights were cold as hell. Blood dripped from her nose onto her hand. _Fuck. First, I hurt, and then I'm cold, now I'm bleeding, for Christ's sake! _Blood gushed onto her hands and jacket. At least things couldn't get any worse. As if on cue, they did. It began to fucking rain.

"Oh great!" Curly yelled, voicing his sister's opinion. "Just fucking great!"

"C'mon!" Tim yelled, pulling his hood up over his curly hair. Alicia and Curly followed suit, and the three of them began to run down the road. In fifteen minutes, they were standing in the driveway of a brown, two- story house. Home.

Angela Shepard was curled up on the worn khaki couch. Her long hair was pulled up into a loose bun, and she was lazily flicking threw a magazine. Beatles music wailed out of speaker and she was mouthing along. Tim looked through the window, praying that their ma was gone, preferably getting drunk, and their dad was with her.

"Hi, Angel!" Tim burst through the door.

Angela glanced up. "Hey." She said. "Where the hell were you?"

"We were fighting the Socs." Curly announced, giving her a play-by-play of the fight. Angela looked extremely bored. She rarely fought. Sure, Tim and Curly taught her and Alicia, but Angela found it stupid. She was far more girly and giggly than sarcastic, loudmouth Alicia.

"Great." Angela said, before returning to her magazine. "So, who won? You told me the fuzz came, but you said _you_ were winning, but you ran."

Tim shrugged. "Dunno. Damn fuzz." He collapsed onto the couch with his sister. Curly fell beside him, and Alicia by Curly.

Angela toyed with a curl that escaped her hair-tie. "So, Alicia. What happened to you?"

"Huh?"

Angela laughed. "Look at mirror. You've got dried blood all over your face."

"Lord, you do!" Tim said. To Angela he said, "some Soc grabbed her arms and another dipshit punched her."

Alicia stood and strode into the bathroom. Sure enough, crusty blood covered most of her face and jacket. Her hair, normally very hard to tame, was a frizzy mess, and she had a black eye. _I look like shit. Like Angel when she doesn't have any make-up on. _

Grabbing a towel, she pulled off her clothes and turned the shower on as hot as it could go. A shower sounded pretty fucking good now.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N and Disclaimer:** _Right, I just want to say that I don't own anything except Alicia. Everything else belongs to S.E. Hinton. Also, this is pre-novel. We're just going to say that it's a couple months before the book. Right? And this one is mostly Tim and Dally. No major slash yet, only comments. But there WILL BE SLASH LATER! (Liz gives the Wednesday smile.) _

**Dedicated to: Kelly:**_ I still love you! Well, dur, you're my cousin, but still!_

It was one in the morning. Tim was still up, listening to the pouring rain outside. His sisters and brother had gone to bed, Curly and Alicia tired from the fight, and Angela was too bored to stay awake. The oldest Shepard touched a bruise forming on his upper arm. Yawning, he stood and started for his bedroom, when someone knocked on the door.

"What the fuck?" Tim stared at the door. Who the hell was it at this time?

Tim threw the door open. "Yeah what- Dally?" Dallas Winston stood, soaked to the skin and shaking. His light hair was plastered to his skull and water was dripping in his face.

"Are you gonna let me in or what?" Dally asked. Tim nodded, gesturing his friend inside. _Thank god Curly, Ali and Angel are in bed._ He knew all of them thought Dally was a fag. Once, Angela made some wiseass comment and Tim nearly punched her lights out. He didn't know why he was so protective of Dally. Alicia always said it was because he was gay for Dally, and Tim nailed her in the jaw.

The two greasers sat on the couch, smoking. "So, why'd you come here instead of the Curtis'?" Tim asked.

"Dunno. My dad was raggin' on me, and I ran. Felt like comin' here." Dally shrugged and blew a smoke ring. His blue eyes rested on Tim. "Where're Curly and your sisters?"

Tim blew out his cigarette smoke. "In bed." Then he heard the sound of footsteps upstairs. "Or two of them are." He figured Curly must be the one up. Curly always got up in the middle of the night for various reasons.

Dally looked over at Tim's profile. The older boy had a straight nose and deep blue eyes. His mop of curly black hair was free of oil or grease. He was like a god. Tim had acquired his dark skin and hair from his mother who was Mexican. His father was Caucasian, where Tim got his eyes. There was no doubt about it: Tim Shepard was good-looking.

Of course, Dally couldn't tell him that. Tim was the only person, save Johnny, that Dally cared about. He didn't want to lose him. So for all of the years, Dally kept his feelings bottled up inside and life went on. After all, who heard of a boy loving another boy?

At that moment, Angela came down the stairs, in her pajamas. Her black hair was pulled back, and she was yawning. Her eyes were half closed, and she stumbled along.

"Angela, what the fuck are you doing up?" Tim asked.

She blinked and looked at Dally. "What are you doing here?" She asked, ignoring Tim's question.

Dally grinned. "I'm moving in, actually."

Angela raised her eyebrows. "You and Tim can sleep in the same bed then." She smirked at her older brother. "You'd like that now, wouldn't you, big brother?" Angela smiled, sweetly.

Tim glared at her, but said nothing except, "Go back to bed, Angela. You have school in the morning."

Angela smirked. "Since when did you start to care about me? I'm not goin'. School annoys me. All the thinking makes my brain hurt."

"You don't have a brain."

"Gee, Tim. That's gonna help build my self-esteem." She raised her eyebrows. "Gimme a ciggy." Angela demanded, extending her arm.

"No."

"Please give me a cigarette?" Angela stuck out her bottom lip in an absurd pout.

Tim threw it at her. "You're too young to smoke."

Angela pointed at Dally, who was sitting quietly, amused by the siblings. "So's he!"

"Dally's a _boy_. Male. He can smoke."

"What does being a boy have to do with anything?"

Tim raised his eyebrows. "His lungs can take it."

She started to laugh. "Bullshit. I'm going to bed." She took a long drag on the cigarette and threw it, still burning, on the ground.

Tim leapt to his feet and stomped on it. "What the hell d'you think you're doing? Never put something that's on fire on the ground! What're you trying to do? Set the house aflame?"

Angela blinked innocently and smiled. "No, that wasn't my intention, but hell, I might as well. No more Curly, Tim and Alicia for Angel." She grinned. "Buenos noches." Angela sauntered off to bed.

Tim sat down next to Dally with a sigh. "She fucking pisses me off."

"Yer lucky. You at least have a brother and sisters that care about you."

"Curly, Angel and Ali couldn't give two shits about me."

"Bullshit."

Tim began to ponder this, but he was too tired. "Dal, are you gonna stay over here?"

Dally yawned, "if that's okay."

The older boy nodded. "Yeah. Don't think mom and dad are gonna be home anytime soon." He grinned, ruefully. "Night, Dal."

Dally fell back on the couch. "Night." Within moments, he was sound asleep.

Tim stood, watching him. The dim light gave Dally's hair a dull gleam, and the lamp cast shadows on his strange face, giving him an eerie look. For a moment, Tim watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, before a voice behind him said, "So, you're a faggot, Tim?"

Tim whirled around. Angela was standing on the steps, an amused smile playing on her face. "Angela, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Watching a rather amusing outburst of faggot lust." She looked at her nails. "I knew it. You _are_ gay for Dallas Winston, aren't you?" She grinned, her dark eyes gleaming.

Tim paled. "I swear to God-" Then he stopped. _Was_ he gay? No, that was impossible. He'd had sex before. Shit, he'd fucked every female from here to hell. Tim laughed. Nope, he was defiantly _not_ a fag. So why did he look at Dally that way?

"You swear what to God, Timmy?" Angela ran her fingers through her hair. She looked at him in mock innocence. "Tell me. Or I'll tell Mom and Dad that their first-born is a fag. Won't that make them _so_ happy?"

_Why was I landed with a piece of shit like Angela for a sister?_ Tim wondered. Angela was defiantly not stupid. Her grades were barely mediocre, but she was street-smart and tough. Tim knew that she would blackmail him. He sighed. "Okay, Angel. What the fuck d'you want?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure." Angela smiled at her oldest brother. She had him right were she wanted him.


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer:** _I only own Alicia. Everything else belongs to S.E. Hinton. _

"So." Tim said, avoiding making eye contact with Angela. _Angel. What a shit nickname for her. "Devil" or "bitch" seems far more appropriate._

"So," Angela smiled widely at him. The two siblings were sitting on the stairs, speaking softly, so as not to wake Dally, Curly or Alicia.

Her older brother sighed. "What the _fuck_ d'ya want me to do for you? I swear to God, if you make me do _anything_ in public that'll embarrass me, I will personally, and with pleasure, knock your teeth out!" But, even with that statement, Tim was at her mercy.

Angela looked at her nails. They were long and painted bright red. Her smile widened even more. "I really can't believe you're gay, Timmy. You're one of the toughest people around, and you don't like girls." She blinked innocently. "Sometimes you amaze me."

Tim glared at her. Normally, any other girl would've shirked away, but Angela received this look on a regular basis, so she didn't do anything but retaliate with a glare of her own. Besides, Angela wasn't a normal girl, greaser or no.

At that moment, there was a creak at the top of the stairs. Alicia and Curly stood there. Alicia's curly hair was a mess and Curly blinked the sleep from his dark eyes. "What are you doing?" Curly yawned.

"Little love fest down here, eh?" Alicia said, dryly. "I'm surprised at you two. Normally, I would find you with guns." She gave Dally the once-over. "Well, look what the cat hacked up."

"What's Dally doing here?" Curly brushed his curls out of his face.

"He didn't want to go to his house, so he came over here." Tim said.

"He came over here to see Tim!" Angela proclaimed, gleefully. Tim punched her in the arm.

"Well, whatever. I'm goin' to bed." Alicia yawned and headed upstairs, with Curly in her wake.

"We'll settle this in the morning." Angela said to her oldest brother, before she too, wandered up the stairs.

Tim sighed and gave Dally one last look before retreating to his and Curly's room.

"Wisdom! To leave his wife, to leave his babes, his mansion and his titles in a place from whence himself does fly? He loves us not; he wants the natural touch; for the poor wren, the most diminutive of birds, will fight— her young ones in her nest—against the owl.  
All is the fear and nothing is the love; as little is the wisdom, where the flight so runs against all reason." The sound of clapping filled the drama room.

"Oh, that was wonderful, Rose! Take your seat." Ms. Narwin, the dramatic arts teacher, stood and gaveRose a standing ovation.

Alicia and Angela were sitting in their drama class. The classroom was large, but hardly furnished. There was a small stage at the front of the room, in front of the blackboard, and the desks faced the stage. Currently the class was practicing their assigned parts for their Shakespeare unit.

Rose beamed and began to walk down the aisle to her desk. Angela glared at her as she passed, and Alicia stuck out her foot; the girl narrowly avoided tripping. Rose was a Soc. She was fourteen, the same age as the Shepard twins, but she looked sixteen. She was tall and skinny, very pretty and she was blonde and blue eyed, and everyone liked her. Except Angela and Alicia.

Rose was annoying to them. She was perky and preppy. The Shepard twinspreferred sadism and darkness. But Rose was rude, too. Angela remembered one day, in first grade, when Ashley stole her brand-new box of crayons and broke them. Looking back on it, it was just the beginning. The Soc made fun of the Shepard family, calling them "circus freaks" and "science experiments." The girls ignored those comments, but they were still very pissed about them.

Alicia dropped back to reality. Brushing her hair out of her face, she ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and scrawled a note to Angela.

_Angie-_

_Let's cut English and go downtown, okay? There's a new cigarette store opening on Filbert.-_

_Ali_

Alicia tossed the note across the aisle to her sister. Right after she did, Ms. Narwin turned around and looked at the next name on her list. "Alright, next we have… ah, Alicia Shepard with _Antony__ and Cleopatra._" Seeing her student's blank stare, she added, "Alicia, remember, your homework?"

"We had homework?"

Ms. Narwin gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Yes, dear, we did."

"I don't remember."

Ms. Narwin's smile faded. "We've had the homework for three weeks now, dear. Alicia, I'm afraid if you don't shape up, you'll fail this class." She turned to Angela. "That goes for you, too." Alicia heard a snigger at the back of the room. _Rose_, she thought. The greaser clenched her fists.

"Sorry, Ms. Narwin, but I didn't remember."

"Ah, that's alright, you'll just take a zero." Alicia glared at her.

"Angela, did you do your homework for _Hamlet_?"

Angela was writing her response to Alicia. "Nope." She said, without looking up.

Ms. Narwin sighed. "Okay, Grace Penn, did you do your piece?"

After another thirty minutes of classmates talking like they were in the Middle Ages, Ms. Narwin had an announcement.

"Class, as you know, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and our school does out traditional Thanksgiving play. This year, the ninth grade drama class has been asked to perform for the school!" Ms. Narwin reminded Angela of Rose: perky and annoying. "Tomorrow I'll give you all your parts."

"But don't we get to audition?" Someone hollered.

"No, James, because I want to see how well you do with assigned parts." At that moment, the bell rang. "Okay, have a good day, class!"

Alicia and Angela strode to the front door and walked out. After going to the new cigarette store, they discussed the new play.

"So, what part do you think you're going to get?" Asked Angela, lighting up.

"Eh, I'm not sure. I think we're both gonna get Indian parts, 'cause we've got black hair and dark skin."

"Rose's gonna get the lead." Angela muttered. "I hate her so much."

Alicia nodded. "Just 'cause she's got a lot of money and a big house, she thinks she's the princess." She sighed. "I can't wait until she dies."

Angela laughed. "We're probably gonna die before her, with all our drinking and smoking!"

Alicia looked thoughtful. "What's been goin' on with you and Tim the last few days? You're so… hostile to each other."

Angela smiled mischievously and told her sister about the rainy night when Dally came, and she saw Tim almost having an orgasm over the younger boy. "So, what are you gonna do?"

Angela shrugged. "I'll ask Curly. I don't really wanna blackmail Tim. This way is better. Slow, painful torture is more my style."

Alicia smirked. "So you're a sadist?"

"I guess."

The street was filled with the ringing laughter of the Shepard girls.

**A/N:** _Aw! Thanks volleyballluver and and starybryte! Yeah, really, why CAN'T they repost it for us? Ah, well. Thank you to all who reviewed before I had to take it down and repost it! I hope to get the next chapter up soon._


	5. Chapter Five

"Alright, settle down, children, settle down. Angela Shepard, I swear, if you don't put James down, you'll take a trip to the principal! Alright, I have your parts."

The moment the class heard that, they all shut up. Miss Narwin smiled at them. "Now, I thought long and hard about who was going to play the main character, the lovely and gentle Pilgrim woman, Anna Baker. It was hard, but I've decided to pick… Rose Keller!"

Rose gasped and pretended to be shocked. "_Me_! Oh, I had no idea… I'm so shocked…I'm speechless… Really, I can't bel-"

Angela cut her off. "I thought you were speechless!" She said in a high, perky voice. Rose glared.

All the annoying Socs got to be the Pilgrims. After distributing their parts with a beaming smile, Miss Narwin got to the Indians. "Now, not everyone can be a star. I'm not going to forget the cherry Indians who contributed to the Thanksgiving, even if the Pilgrims were capable of saving themselves. Now, in the secondary roles are… Jessica Vertis, Amanda Becker, Ellen Sherry, John Burns, Erik Miller, Lukas DeVerto, Grace Penn, Charlie Matthews and Jeff Barlow." She handed them their scripts with a fake grin.

_She was a Soc as a kid._ Alicia said to herself. The only two people who hadn't gotten their roles yet were her and Angela. _Maybe we won't be in the play._

It was not to be. "And as the leader of the Indians we have… Angela and Alicia Shepard!" The sisters exchanged glances as she handed them the scripts. It was then that Angela noticed a pattern: all the unfavorable children were Indians. The Pilgrims were Socs. She was about to point it out to Alicia, but her twin was busy arguing with Miss Narwin.

"I don't want to be in a play."

"Sorry, dear, but you have to."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, the principal said that he wanted you and your sister to be the leaders."

"I don't have to agree to that."

"Yes, dear, you signed up for this course, you have to do what I say."

"No I don't."

"Don't you want to re-enact the first Thanksgiving?"

"No."

Angela snorted.

Later that night, Alicia was sitting with Curly in the living room. She was reading her script for the Thanksgiving play, while he watched TV. The television set was blaring. "Do you mind! I'm trying to embrace my part as Deer Girl!"

Curly laughed. "'Deer Girl!' Where did you get that name?"

"It's for my school play, jackass. If you had half a brain, you'd realize that!"

"Oh, so that's why you have the feathers in your hair?"

"Yes."

"Ali, take it from me. School's for dipshits like that Horse kid."

"His name's not Horse! It's Ponyboy!" Angela walked down the stairs, also carrying her lines.

"Oh, and that's better?" Curly asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yes."

Alicia glanced at her sister. "So, what dumbass name do you have, Angel?"

"I'm 'Deer Girl.'"

"What? Lemme see your script!" Alicia grabbed her twin's script. Reading over it, she saw the highlighted lines were the same as her own. "I don't believe it." She said, faintly.

"What?"

"She didn't even give us our own parts! We have to share one!"

Curly fell over laughing.

"It's not funny!" Angela yelled, hotly.

"The prejudiced teacher wants us to share a part! I'll be Rose doesn't have to share one!" Alicia fumed.

"I guess it's because we're twins."

"No, Miss Narwin just wants to totally cut out the Indians! We have to talk to her!"

Angela, however, had other things on her mind. "Where's Tim?"

Curly looked at her. "He said he was going over to Dally's house… what's so funny?"

Angela was laughing. "Dally! He's in so love with the poor kid; it's sad."

"Angie, what's so bad about Tim being homosexual?"

Angela's eyes widened. "Wow, Curly, a five-syllable word, that's pretty good."

Curly glared at her. "No, what's so bad about it?"

Alicia brightened. "Does he talk to you about anything?"

"Well…"

"TELL US!"

"No!" With that, Curly turned up the television, and no amount of prodding would make him say anything.

**A/N:** _Sorry, it was such a bad chapter! It was just one of those that keeps the story going. Starbryte, I hope you like the Curly-ness in this chapter! Don't worry, he'll be a big part in the upcoming parts, and so will their parents. _


	6. Chapter Six

"So, that bitch of a teacher wants you two to share a part?" Gary Shepard looked over the top of his newspaper.

"Yep."

"So, what are you going to do? I mean, you have to do the play."

"What?"

It was early morning, and Alicia, Angela, Curly and their father were sitting around the breakfast table. The children were eating their breakfast, while Mr. Shepard read his paper. "Wait, daddy, why do we have to do the play?" Angela whined.

"You have to do it because you two forced me to let you do that class." Margarita Shepard was looking for a plate in the cupboard. Her long black hair was falling in her face and she brushed it away impatiently. "Now, you two are going to find out what it's like to be forced to do what you don't want to."

"But, ma, we know what it's like to do something we don't want to." Alicia said.

"Oh, and what might that be?"

"Going to school," Angela finished with a grin.

Margarita glared at her daughters. "You both are so spoiled! Your father and I go to work everyday to raise money, and you two whine about goin' to school!"

"Mom, the most money you get is like, three bucks a day." Curly said. "And dad gets less."

Margarita looked about ready to explode.

"Curly, uh, why don't you go grab my bag? It's on the stairs; I forgot to get it." Angela said. She knew the warning signs when her mother got mad.

Curly, however, didn't get the message. "Go get it your self. Now, as I was saying, ma-"

Alicia was amazed at the idiocies of her brother. "Curly, why don't you get her bag?"

It was too late. Curly had touched his mother's nerve. While his sisters darted out the door for school, Mrs. Shepard yelled at him to get his own job and make more money than five dollars a day.

As Angela and Alicia grabbed their school bags, they passed a sleepy looking Tim as he tottered down the stairs. "Hey, Ali, Angel." He yawned. Then he heard his mother's screams. "What'd Curly do now?"

"Oh, he just said ma didn't make enough money to support the family." Alicia shrugged.

"Oh." Tim yawned again. "Fuck, I'm tired."

Angela stopped and gave him a coy smile. "Have fun last night?" She asked, her voice coated in sugar.

Tim paused. "Yes." He said. He knew Angela's real intentions when she asked that.

"Did you and Dally go out?"

"Nope. We stayed at his place with the gang." Angela's face fell.

"Damn." She muttered under her breath.

The sisters ran out the door, with both their mother's screams and Tim's laughter behind them.

"Now, class. This play is very important to both the school and myself. So _don't mess it up_. I know that some of you," here she looked directly at Alicia, "don't really want to be in the performance, but you signed up for the class, you have to take it. And that means: do what I tell you to do. Right, any questions? Ah, Alicia."

"I don't have a question; I have a comment."

"I asked for questions only, so don't ask me-"

"Fine then, I won't ask, I'll tell you. I don't want to be in a play. I signed up for this class, because I wanted to act. However, you so kindly gave Angela and me the same script. Why?"

"Well, the role of Deer Girl is very important, however small. So, you two will have to split the part between you."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Lemme get this straight: you want us to share the part? While Rose gets the biggest part in the whole thing, and _she_ doesn't have to divide the script fifty-fifty?"

"Rose doesn't have a twin."

"No, thank God." Alicia made the sign of the cross.

Rose sneered at her. "Well, Alicia, while you and your sister live in your run-down home, I'm going to be an actress."

Both the Shepards leapt to their feet. Angela made a fist. "Say that again." She whispered in a low voice.

"Now, now girls. Please, sit down." Miss Narwin patted Angela on the shoulder, and the girl flinched and the touch. "I'm sure Rose didn't mean that."

"Bet she did." Angela muttered.

Miss Narwin gave her a warning look. "Now, why don't you three hug?"

"We don't hug." Alicia said.

"Oh, you're just shy."

"We're not shy." Alicia scowled.

"We just don't like her." Angela finished.

Rose glared and Miss Narwin sighed, sympathetically. "Girls, if you don't want to get along, then leave."

"Okay." And with that, the Shepards strolled out.

That night, Alicia, Angela and Curly sat in the living room watching the television show, _The Addams Family_, (A/N: It came out in 1964, I think) when Tim came running down the stairs. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans and a clean white shirt. Angela raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going dressed like that?"

"I'm going out with Dally and his friends."

Angela snickered. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"Angel, the real question is what _wouldn't_ you do?"

"I wouldn't do you lookin' like that!"

Alicia threw her head back and laughed. Tim, however, said, "good, 'cause I wouldn't do you either." And with a curt nod, he walked out the door.

Alicia turned to Curly. "So, Curly, what did Tim tell you?"

Curly, whose gaze was fixed on the TV, said, "Oh, Tim tells me lots of stuff."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Can you tell us what he says?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I swore I wouldn't tell you."

Angela snorted. "Oh, yeah, Curly when was the last time you kept a promise?"

Curly glared at her. "I keep promises a lot, Angel."

Angela rolled her eyes and smiled. "Can you please tell us? He's our brother, too. Is it about Dally?"

"Yes."

"Tell us! Please." Alicia batted her eyelashes at him. "Ple-e-e-ase?" She stretched the word out as long as she could.

"Nope." Curly shut his mouth and refused to speak to speak to them until they gave up.

The next day was the rehearsals for the play. The Indians got to sit and watch as Rose and her group of Pilgrim pals said their lines. Rose was a god-awful actress. Angela fell asleep as Rose talked about "finally reaching the free land." Alicia's head fell onto her desk, but snapped back up again as Miss Narwin asked her if they decided how to divide the part.

"No, Miss. We will, though."

"Good. I hope each of you gets equal time on stage. I know how excited you are to be in this performance!"

"Oh yes. We're _ecstatic_."

Miss Narwin beamed. "I'm so glad that you girls are finally embracing the first Thanksgiving!"

**A/N:** _Ugh.__ School's a bitch. Sorry if this chapter sucked too. And, don't worry. They divide the part 50/50. And, no, the Socs don't fuck up their lines. Alicia and Angela "modify" the play a bit. Can't give away to much, though! Adios! And we WILL find out what Curly's hiding. Eventually. :) _


	7. Chapter Seven

**Warning:** _This chapter contains boy-on-boy action. (Not really graphic, mind you, because it's being told, not described, if that makes any sense.) So, if you are a homophobe/prude, this is your warning. I really don't any reviews saying, "oMg, tIm+ dAlLyR lYkE SoOoOoOo nOtGaY, u pErVeRt!11111111111111111! oMgWtFlOl." Because that would take too much time to analyze, plus, those reviews bug me. And I gave a warning in the summary AND first chapter. So, homophobes, you canfuck off._

* * *

Alicia sighed and leaned back in her chair. She was in health class, and they were doing CPR training. As she let her head fall back, she wondered what Curly was hiding. Oh well; she and Angela would get it out of him eventually. But what would Tim say about Dally? Were they gay together? Had they ever had sex? Or was it just a ploy to make Alicia and Angela look like fools?

"All right, class, today we're going to practice CPR. I'm going to assign you a partner, and you have to practice on them. Ready?" Mr. Seymour, the Health teacher from Hell was at the front of the room. "How about… Grace and John. Kara and Matthew. Ashley and Dora." As he rattled off the names, Alicia had the sinking suspicion that she wouldn't be partnered with Angela. She was right. "Alicia and… Ah! Rose!"

"WHAT?" Alicia leapt to her feet.

Mr. Seymour blinked through his glasses. "I said that you and Rose should be partners."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I heard you, I'm not stupid." She sat down and snapped her gum.

Mr. Seymour ran his hand through his straw-colored hair. "Now, I need a pair… Rose, Alicia, how about you?"

The two glared daggers at each other and walked to the front of the room. "One of you needs to be the person who needs to be saved."

Rose's hand shot into the air. "I'll be the victim!" She cried.

"All your life." Alicia said, smiling sweetly.

The class laughed.

Rose ignored them. "I'm going to be an actress!"

Mr. Seymour beamed. "Lovely, Rose. I see you also got the lead in the Thanksgiving play, so I'm sure you'll be amazing. But, back to class. Lay down. Close your eyes and don't breathe much." He turned sternly to Alicia. "Now, pretend like she's really dying. What would you do?"

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Celebrate, I guess."

There were a few sniggers. "Now, Alicia, I want you to be serious."

"I am being serious!" She protested.

"No, you aren't. Now, Alicia, plug her nose and put her mouth over hers-"

Alicia's face contorted. "Ugh, no! That's disgusting! I refuse to kiss her!"

"Either that or you have to go to the principal."

"Fine!" Alicia turned and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later, she was sitting in the principal's anteroom. Mr. Seymour had tracked her down and sent her to Mr. Howard. Alicia leaned back in her seat casually and took out a cigarette and lighter. Mrs. Andrews, the secretary, looked up. "No smoking in here, Miss Shepard." She said sternly.

Alicia sighed and put them in her pocket. The second hand ticked by. As she gazed at the clock, she heard the door open. A familiar voice cried, "c'mon, man, I was framed! Why in God's name would I try to steal a painting from the art room?" The door slammed shut, and the owner of the voice sat down next to Alicia. "Aww, man! This sucks!" Curly looked at his sister. "What'd you do?"

Alicia glanced at him. "I wouldn't do CPR to that Rose chick."

Curly's dark eyes lit up. "That Soc broad? Shit, I would do _anything_ to kiss her."

Alicia laughed loudly. "Get real, man! She's pretty and smart and popular. _And_ she's a Soc. She wouldn't even give you the time of day."

"I didn't say I wanted to date her. I just wanna bang her."

Alicia threw back her head and laughed again. Mrs. Andrews glared at her, but she was saved any lecturing, because at that moment, the phone rang. Alicia caught snatches of her conversation. Apparently, some kid was caught trying to break into the principal's car. Mrs. Andrews had to go sort something out. The moment she stepped out the door, Curly grabbed Alicia's arm. "Now's our chance!" He sprinted out the door with Alicia in his wake.

The siblings burst out of the main doors and fell to the ground, laughing. The warm sun and air felt good against their faces. Alicia tilted her dark head up and let the sun fall onto her. Curly laid back onto the grass. She fell back next to him. Her black hair touched his and for a moment, it looked like they were connected, before he sat up. "Wanna smoke?"

"Fuck yes. I got in trouble before you came in about smoking in the waiting room." She laughed, lighting the cigarette he handed her. After taking a long drag on it, she glanced over at Curly. It seemed like he was thinking, which was a revolution unto itself. "Why are you staring off into space?"

"Just thinking…" he muttered.

"Don't hurt yourself." She said with a smirk. Then, with a bit less sarcasm, she added, "what about?"

"Oh… Tim."

"Oh mother fucking God. Don't tell me you have an incestuous crush on Tim."

"No, I'm not thinking about him like _that_, dipshit." He sighed. "I dunno. He's known for being tough but… fags aren't looked on too highly here."

Alicia inhaled too quickly and began to cough and sputter. "Whatthefuck!" She gasped. "He… he _is_ gay! What does he tell you? Tell me now, or me and Angel will kick the shit out of you!"

Curly laughed. "Yeah, like my two baby sisters could take me? Gimme a break."

"Fine, I will. Which limb?" With surprising speed and grace, she pounced on him, like a cat on its prey. Curly wrestled with her for a while, but she was his match in strength. After five minutes, she had him pinned. "Now, tell me everything."

"Nope." The Shepard children were stubborn and Curly was possibly the worst. When he wanted to, he could keep his trap shut good. Unfortunately, it was rarely shut, and the one time Alicia wanted him to talk, he wouldn't. It always worked that way, didn't it?

The rest of the day passed normally. They went to a burger place and ate lunch. Then they wandered along the streets for the rest of the time and talked about everything but Tim and gay people. As much as she hated to admit, Alicia liked Curly. He was easy to talk to and, when he wasn't trying to be tough, he could be almost considered decent. But what the fuck was he hiding?

When they got home, it was about five in the afternoon. Angela and Tim were in the kitchen, drinking and smoking. Angela was giving Tim the lowdown about some fuck that was hitting on her, while Tim was pretending to listen. He was leaning back in his chair, absentmindedly flipping open and closing his switchblade. When she paused to take a breath, Tim interrupted her. "Look, Angel, as a-fucking-mazing as that story is, I have to go."

"Where're you going?" Curly asked.

"Goin' to meet Dally." Tim said, flatly and he started to walked out the door.

"Can I go with you?" Curly yelled after him.

"No!" Tim called over his shoulder before walking away.

"Asshole." Curly muttered. He took a swig out of Tim's half-full beer bottle. "He acts like I don't exist anymore."

"His world revolves around Dally, you know that, Curly." Angela said. She saw Curly pounding down the beer, and her eyes brightened. Alicia could see the wheels turning in her sister's mind. Both of them knew that, when drunk, Curly would reveal almost anything. And he was never one to pass up free booze. "Here, Curly, you can have the rest of mine." She offered, uncharacteristically generous. To top it off, she flashed him a sweet grin.

"Thanks." Curly grabbed it, and chugged it down. Alicia took an unopened bottle from the refrigerator and cracked it open. She drank some, then gave the rest to her brother. Curly looked at her suspiciously, but luckily, he didn't have the brains to see their plan. He drank it down and they gave him another.

An hour and nine and a half bottles of beer later, Curly was rambling on about some greaser broad he'd fucked and then gotten the shit beaten out of him by her boyfriend. It was all in explicit detail, and made Angela and Alicia feel a little sick. To make him talk, Alicia looked at the clock. "Man, it sure is getting late. I hope _Tim_ remembers to get back from meeting _Dally_."

Curly laughed. "Yeah, right. Like they can spare five minutes from gropin' each other."

Both girls looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Curly continued. "Yeah, Tim said once that Dally was real drunk, ya know? So, Dally kisses him full on the mouth, like, WHOO!" He gave another drunken laugh. "So, Tim was pretty smashed too, but he had an idea of what the fuck was goin' on."

"So what did Tim do?" Angela coaxed.

"So, Tim kisses 'im back. Tim's always had the hots for Dally. A blind ferret could see that. So, Tim says that they're like, makin' out." He paused and belched loudly before continuing. "They're makin' out, and then Dally takes off Tim's shirt. And Dally like, licks Tim's neck and sucks on his nipples an' all." At that moment Curly stopped. "Ya know, I've always wondered why guys have nipples. They don't milk, do they? 'Cause that'd be-"

"Curly, we don't give a rat's ass about nipples, keep going!" Alicia said, eager to know what was going on.

"Oh, yeah. So, Tim says that Dally was a great kisser, even better than that Janet broad. Anyways, Tim took off Dally's shirt and they were all over each other. Then, Dally's hand goes down Tim's pants. And Dally's all fingering him, grabbin' at his balls, you know the drill. An' Tim's all aroused and shit. So, Tim lets him jack him off for a while, before they went upstairs."

"Wait, where were they?" Angela interrupted. She really didn't want to be known as the girl whose brother got a hand-job from another guy in the middle of, say, a public restaurant. That would be embarrassing, not to mention just plain gross.

"Nah, they were in Buck Merril's backyard. There was a party or somethin' goin' on an' they went for a walk together. So, anyways, where was I?"

"They went upstairs…?" Alicia said, excitedly.

"Oh, yeah. So, Dally takes off Tim's pants and is jackin' 'im off 'n' shit. And then Tim grabs Dally's pants off and they're fondlin' each other. Then Dally starts givin' Tim a blowjob."

Angela actually spat out some of the beer she was drinking. "He _what_?" She twisted her face into a grimace. "Jesus _Christ_. I am _never_ getting drunk around Dally."

"That's what Tim said. So, Dally's blowin' Tim, then he gets up and they start makin' out again and they fall on the bed. Tim starts kissin' Dally's neck an' then Tim gives Dally a hand job and pretty soon they orgasm all over each other."

Angela gagged and Alicia made a disgusted face. Curly went on, either oblivious to their reaction or too drunk to care. "An' then Tim goes, 'wanna wash it off in the shower?' An' Dally says, 'hell yeah.' So they get in the shower and wash all the cum off. Then they get out of the shower and rub each other down and then they had sex in the bed."

Angela inhaled on her cigarette too fast and choked on the smoke while Alicia almost spat out her beer. "_What_?"

Curly raised his eyebrows. "I said they had sex in the bed."

"We heard you. But, they actually had sex, like, _real_ sex?" Alicia said.

"Yeah. But Tim didn't tell me the details. He said it was too 'personal' or somethin'. So, the next mornin' Tim wakes up and Dally's all next to him. So, Tim gets up'n gets dressed 'n' runs back home like a motherfucker." Curly took a deep breath. "An' he reckons Dally doesn't 'member 'cause he's never mentioned it."

"So, that's it?" Angela looked disgusted for a moment, then she smiled. "Lovely. Now, I can begin my blackmail." She plonked her beer bottle down and stood. "Thank you, Curly. I owe ya one." She walked out of the room, humming a Beatles song.

Alicia looked at him for a moment. "When did Tim tell you this?"

Curly shrugged. "Couple weeks 'go. Why?"

"I dunno." She brushed her hair out of her face, feeling slightly ill. _Tim. Tim Shepard, my _brother,_ has had sex with another male. Jesus motherfucking Christ. _Alicia stood. "I'm gonna go find out what Angel's up to."

Curly grinned drunkenly. "Okay! More beer for me then!" He took a long swig of beer and began to laugh and sing.

* * *

Tim was walking home, hunched over with his hands in his ripped jeans pockets. He was reliving that evening with Dally. How could the younger boy not remember that drunken evening? Tim remembered it perfectly. Then again, Tim hadn't had seven or eight beers like Dally had. Tim only had three, and even though he was a little drunk, he could still remember Dally's lips on his, his fingers in Dally's hair… Tim shook his dark head. Then he'd made the mistake of telling Curly. His little brother was the _biggest_ blabber-mouthed fool he'd ever encountered. Luckily, Curly was also afraid of Tim, and the older boy had promised to punch his lights out if he told a soul.

When Tim arrived home, he found his brother passed out face-down on the kitchen table, surrounded by beer bottles. In the living room, Alicia was lying on the couch watching TV and Angela was painting her nails on the floor. "Hey, Timmy." Angela said without looking up. Tim could tell there was a coy smirk on Angela's face that she was trying to hide. Alicia glanced up at him before returning to her show.

Tim wandered upstairs and went to his bedroom. He was so fucking confused. Did he like Dally, or did he _like_ Dally? Did Angela or Alicia know about them? What did Curly think? More to the point, _who__ the hell did Curly tell?_ Tim's head fell back onto his pillow, his head filling with questions. Maybe a goodnight's sleep would clear his mind.

**A/N:** _Grins like an insane rabbit Well?__ Curly's secret is out, people! And poor Timmy doesn't have a clue what to do! Please review! Look at the poor review button, people, it looks so lonely. Strokes review button Cheers, y'all! Runs off singing The PHANTOM of the OPERA is there! Inside my mind! Cackles and rides the Batmobile/vaccum into the sunset_


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N:** _I am SOSOSOSOSOSO sorry I haven't updated! My comp. decided to fail on me and we had to get it fixed. And I was SWAMPED with homework. (Damn me for being so smart and getting into accelerated history!) But I'm back now. (Grins) Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for reviewing! Eleven reviews for one chapter, my non-existent heart will explode with love for you all! I WOULD have more reviews but NOOOOOOOOOOO! Some fucktard decided to report me. Pussy. But ANYWHROE, thanks so much to the sweeties who reviewed. I love you all. I really do._

**A/N- the sequel:** _Okie dokies, this chapter is based on the song by Franz Ferdinand called, "Michael." If anyone wants to view the lyrics, they can be found here: http: love FF. Download that song; it's awesomeness in a can!) Anywhore, I decided that I should make a song-fic chapter to this song. Yes, I am aware that this is 1965, and Franz Ferdinand wasn't around then. It's called, "artistic license." Please read and review! And, BTW, Bryon is the main character from, "That was Then, this is Now." He went out with Angela for a while. This is pre-Outsiders; roughly a year or so._

**Warning:** _This chapter has explicit M/M. That means detailed Boy on Boy action! ( Well, they kiss but…) If you are very squeamish and/or homophobic, HIT THE BACK __BUTTON__ON__ YOUR BROWSER NOW! Liz is NOT very fond of getting reviews like this: oMg, WtF, tIm AnD dAlLy ArE lYkE SoOosoOo NoT gAy!1111 DaLlYzZ mYnE!111 (Granted, I've never gotten a review like that before, but whatever.)_

**Disclaimer:** _Tim, Dally and the rest belong to S.E. Hinton. Alicia and all characters that you don't recognize belong to _Liz and Tree-Huggers Inc. © _All rights reserved. "Michael," belongs to the genius that is Franz Ferdinand._

* * *

"Hey, Tim, Buck Merrill's having a party on Saturday. Wanna go?" It was early Thursday morning and Tim was sitting bleary eyed at the kitchen table. Curly was leaning back in his seat with the morning paper in his lap. He was checking to see if his friend was mentioned for knifing some drunken Mexican. Tim looked slowly up at his younger brother. It was three days ago Tim had found Curly passed out at the table, surrounded by beer bottles. It was surprising that he'd recovered so fast. But then, Curly was a hardy drinker.

"Give me back my fucking shirt before I rip your fucking head off!" Angela was sprinting after Alicia. Angel's face was red and she looked seriously pissed, while Alicia was looking mildly amused.

"Catch me if you can!" She crowed, looking over her shoulder. Said shirt was tight and black and went just above her belly button. Angela glared at her.

"I fucking hate you." Angela growled.

Alicia ignored her. "So, Curl, what did I hear about Buck having a party?"

"Buck Merrill's havin' a party." Curly repeated.

"Ah. I'm goin'. Wanna come with me, Angel?" Alicia grinned at her sister. "I hear that Bryon kid's gonna be there."

"I'm not goin' with you until you give me back my shirt."

Alicia sighed and rolled her dark eyes. "Fine." She pulled the shirt off, revealing a black bra, and went back upstairs. A few minutes later, she returned, now in green. "Are you ready to go now, Angel?"

Angela smirked. "Let's go to the center of torture and boredom. And, ah, hell, Ali, I'll go to the party with you, too. Just because you're my sister and I love you."

"Angel, the only thing you love is yourself." Alicia snapped.

* * *

"Now, class, I have your costumes all ready for the play. Remember, Thanksgiving is only a month away, so you need to practice your lines at home as well. I'm counting on you all." Miss Narwin beamed at the class. She was standing at the front of the room with two huge boxes next to her. One box was labeled, "pilgrim," and the other, "Indian." "When I call your name, come up and get your costume." She grabbed a brown Pilgrim costume out of the box next to her with a piece of paper attached to it. "Sarah King," she called. "Evan Michaels…"

Twelve minutes and seventeen costumes later, Miss Narwin pulled out the last Pilgrim costume. It was very pretty, rich brown with a crisp, white apron, shiny black shoes and a matching cap. All the other Pilgrim girls had just a plain light brown dress with no apron, hat or shoes. "Rose Keller, this costume was made especially for you. Since you're the star, you have to look like the lovely star that I know you will be."

"Thank you, Miss Narwin. I appreciate it ever so much." Rose simpered.

Angela gave a fake cough that sounded oddly like, "_Kiss up_!"

Miss Narwin beamed at Rose as she pulled the Indian box to her. She withdrew a pair of plain, buckskin pants and a matching shirt. Looking at the paper, she said, "Lukas DeVerto." She grabbed another, looked at the piece of attached paper and called, "Erik Miller…"

It was five minutes to the bell and Miss Narwin had given everyone their costumes but Alicia and Angela. The teacher pulled out two identical costumes: long, buckskin dresses and a matching headband. "Oh, you two will look absolutely _darling_, girls." Her grin was so large Alicia wondered why her face didn't crack in half.

"Thank you, Miss Narwin." Angela said, flashing her teacher a broad smile.

* * *

Curly was bored. He'd skipped school and was lying on the worn-out couch in the living room watching _Bugs Bunny_. In his left hand was a cigarette and in his right was a beer bottle. He sighed and threw the cigarette down and stood. No one was home. His sisters were both at school, his parents were at work and Tim was off somewhere. Curly thought of his older brother. He remembered that Tim said he wasn't going to be home until around four in the afternoon. Curly looked at his watch. It was one o'clock. He had three hours.

The younger Shepard brother dashed up the stairs. Running past Alicia and Angela's room, he went to Tim's room. The door was closed, and a sign hung on it saying, "Nobody cares, go fuck yourself." He turned the knob with shaking fingers, opened it and walked in, slowly.

Curly had been in his older brother's bedroom about three times in the past four years. Once when he was sick and his parents weren't home. Another time was with Angela when they were looking for his cigarette lighter. The third time, he was hiding from Alicia, who was seriously pissed off at him.

The room was small and dark. Tim's bed, on the opposite wall, was unmade and there was a pair of jeans on it. The closet door was open and clothes and other junk was falling out and there were clothes, papers and magazines strewn across the floor. The blinds were half-open and a little sunlight filtered through. A dresser stood in a corner and a few drawers were half-open.

Curly crept to the dresser. Carefully, he opened the top drawer. A few pairs of half-folded plaid boxers stared back at him. Curly grinned. He knew that Tim hid everything in his underwear drawer. He lifted the boxers out and carefully set them on the floor. _Bingo_.

Under the boxers was a pack of cigarettes, a switchblade, a _Playboy_ magazine, a cigarette lighter and what seemed to be letters. There were three in all. With shaking fingers, he opened one of the letters.

_Dear Dally, __4/26/65_

_I can't believe I'm writing this. I should be out banging chicks or jumping some hippies. Would you believe that I'm sitting in my room at two in the morning, almost completely sober without a chick in my bed? Would you believe that I don't like girls? Would you believe that I, Tim Shepard, like you as more than a friend? Neither would I, but I guess that's how life works, isn't it? I remember the first time I ever met you. You were only 13, I was 15. You were fighting off these jackasses from Brumley. It was you against five other guys. I stepped in and together we kicked the shit out of them. After we were done, you turned and almost smiled and said, "thanks." We've been friends ever since._

_It feels so weird saying this. I sometimes get jealous of that Johnny kid, because you love him so much. I see him, all weak and helpless and then I see you with him. I feel like I want to kick his ass. I know that I couldn't, because then you'd hate me forever. I can't talk about this with Curly or my sisters. Curly wouldn't understand, Angela would laugh and Alicia would say that it's just a phase, or that I'm insane. I think that I am insane. After all, no other guy likes other guys like this. They're too afraid to. This one kid openly admitted that he was gay, and another kid beat the shit out of him. _

_I think I'll die without telling you that I love you. I'll grow up, get married to some broad, have kids, get drunk and die. She'll never be the one that I love, but she'll do. And you'll marry Sylvia, have kids, get drunk with me and die. And you'll never know that I love you. After all, it's not like I'm going to show this to you. _

_Love, Tim _

_Dear Dally, __6/04/65_

_Today we had a rumble with the Socs. Your gang and mine. You fought really well today. I guess that was because you were mad at Sylvia. She cheated on you, and who was there to tell you to leave her? Who was the one that took you to the bar and gave you all those beers? Who was the one to help you home? Me. And you know why I was there? 'Cause I'm the only one who cares. I'm the only one who gives more than two shits about you, Dally. And that's the way it's gonna go. That's how it's always gonna be. And, no matter what, Sylvia or no, I'm the only one who'll look after you._

_Love, Tim _

_Dear Dally, __9/25/65_

_I seriously hope that you don't remember last night. I hope that I never forget it. It was great, but meaningless at the same time. You kissed me, but you were drunk. I took advantage of that. I'm sorry. I should have made you back off. But I didn't. I remember the feeling of your hands on me. I wanted to make that moment last. I was drunk, but had more of a grasp on reality at the time. We didn't talk much. But it wasn't a meaningless fuck at Buck's house either. It wasn't like fucking a chick, because you were stronger and you didn't do all that annoying mewling that chicks do. You were the more dominant one. If you do remember it, you'll never treat me the same again. But I'll remember that forever, even if you don't._

_Love, Tim _

Curly stared at the letters. He read and reread them. He had no idea… How was it possible that _Tim_, his _older brother_, someone he'd known his _entire life_, actually had feelings? Real, honest-to-God feelings. Feelings of love, actual_ love_, no less? He couldn't believe it. Tim Shepard was in love with Dally. Curly had always dismissed it as an infatuation, but he never expected this. He had to show Angela and Alicia and see what they thought. Neither of them had ever been in love, but they were girls and they knew more on the subject than Curly did. He shoved the letters in his pants pocket and ran downstairs.

* * *

"Okay, you can have scenes four through eight, and I'll be scenes nine through thirteen, okay?" Angela pointed at the script.

"Right. I get the 'big' feast scene and make a big speech about how wonderful Rose is. Thanks, Angel."

Angela glared at her sister. "Gosh, I'm sorry, I just wanted to be nice and give you the big scene. My bad." Her voice was dripping in sarcasm.

"Well, one of us has to do it. Why can't it be you?"

"Because I don't want to."

Angela and Alicia were sitting on their living room floor. Tim was sprawled on the couch, watching the TV. He scowled at them, annoyed.

"I don't wanna do the feast scene, either! Why can't you do it?"

"Jesus Christ!" Tim jumped up. "How about I flip a coin and whoever loses has to do the feast scene!" He rolled his eyes. From his pocket, he pulled a nickel. "Okay, Ali, heads or tails?"

"Heads."

The coin flew into the air, flipping above their heads. "Let it hit the floor." Tim commanded. The coin landed.

"Heads!" Alicia called, triumphantly. Angela's face fell. Alicia punched the air with her fist. "Yes!"

Angela scowled. "Lucky chance. Best two out of three."

Alicia laughed, "No way, man! I won fair and square. Tough, Angel. You're shit outta luck." She giggled and punched her sister's arm. "Better start working on the speech about Rose."

As Alicia was celebrating her victory, Curly came downstairs. He ran up to Angela and grabbed her arm. She looked at him, annoyed and smacked his shoulder. "Don't you fucking touch me." She snapped.

"Angel, I need you for a second. You too, Ali."

"What for?"

Curly rolled his eyes. "Why the hell do you care? Now come on."

The sisters looked at each other and shrugged. "Whatever." Angela said as she began to follow him.

Curly led them into his bedroom. Shutting the door behind them, he tossed his sisters the letters that Tim would never send. "Read these in order." Angela picked up the one from April 26 and Alicia read over her shoulder. Alicia's mouth was slightly open as she read and her eyes were huge. Angela, however, had an unreadable expression. Her face looked both angry and sad. After ten minutes, they had read all three of the letters.

"Wow. Just fucking wow." Alicia said.

"I don't believe it. Tim, _our brother_, can actually feel."

Curly shrugged. "I feel bad for him. I mean, he's… _gay_, ya know? And people aren't gonna like that."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Come off it, Curly. Tim can handle himself, you know that."

* * *

It was finally Saturday night. Angela and Alicia had spent the entire day wondering about who was going to be at the party, what they were going to wear and how they were going to get there. At 6:00, they were ready. Angela was wearing a tight, pink T-shirt and a short black skirt. Alicia had on a tight black shirt and a short red skirt. Angela looked at Curly who was sitting at the kitchen table smoking. "Aren't you going to come?"

"Nah, me and Candy broke up." Curly, for once, looked a little upset about breaking up with a girl. Normally, he would be in a rush to go to a party to find the first chick to bang.

"Curly, since when has breaking up with a girl been a problem for you?"

"I dunno. She was the first chick I've ever actually _liked_. And Tim…"

"And Tim what?" Tim was leaning against the doorframe, looking quite good in a pair of ripped jeans, a black shirt and a black leather jacket. His black curly hair fell in his eyes with a kind of casual elegance. A smirk played about his lips. There was no wonder that he brought some good-looking girl home with him pretty much every night.

Curly was taken aback at the sudden appearance of his older brother. "Er… and Tim'll be there to pick up all the pretty girls with his er… manliness."

Angela snorted and Alicia looked down at her feet, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Tim rolled his eyes. "Sure, Curly. You can stay here and drown you misery in beer and cigarettes, while Angel, Ali and me are at Buck's. Have fun." Tim turned around and walked out of the kitchen with Alicia and Angela behind him.

When the Shepards arrived at Buck Merrill's, the first thing they noticed were two people making out on the front porch. Tim pretended not to notice, Alicia made a face and Angela tapped the girl on the shoulder and whispered, "Get a room." Instead of knocking, Tim merely strode in. Shrugging, his sisters did the same.

All the furniture in Buck's living room had been pushed to the sides, making it a sort of dance floor. People were sitting in chairs or on couches, watching the people dancing. Beatles music was wailing from the stereos and people were nodding their heads to it.

Sitting on one of the chairs was a tall, husky, roguishly handsome boy with dark hair and eyes. "Oh, God, Ali. That's Bryon!" Angela squealed, pointing at him.

"So?"

"Come with me and say hi," pleaded Angela.

Alicia sighed. "Whatever."

Angela strutted over to him, her backside swinging. Alicia had to admit that her sister was very pretty. Her long, black hair shone in the light, she was very slender and had a movie-star face. Any boy would want her, even if it were just a one-night thing. Angela gave the Bryon kid a very flirty smile as she sat down next to him. "Hey, Bryon."

Bryon gave a start, looking surprised. "Oh, uh, hi, Angela. How are you?"

Angela got closer to him. "I'm fine. You?"

"Oh, I'm, er, great."

She placed her hand on his leg. Her face was about a foot from his. "Did you and Olivia break up again?"

He looked sad. "Yeah. Only this time it was permanent."

Angela had a very seductive look on her face. "I can help make you feel better, if you want me to." She pressed her mouth on his and her arms wrapped around him. Alicia turned her head away. She wasn't really in the mood to see her sister and some random guy groping each other. Instead, she focused on the dance floor.

* * *

Dally was dancing with a very pretty blonde girl that Alicia didn't know, but assumed was Sylvia. The girl was pressing her breasts up against Dally and he kept touching her lower back. But Dally's eyes kept glancing in the opposite direction. Alicia's eyes followed to the same spot where Dally was looking. Leaning against the wall with a bottle of beer was Tim. Tim's black eyes were resting on Dally, and his dark hair was falling in his eyes. He brushed it away and gave Dally a small smile. Dally almost smiled back. He said something to Sylvia and then went to Tim.

Dally had been dancing with Sylvia for the past hour. She was very good-looking and was, overall, pretty decent, but he wasn't romantically attracted to her. When Tim showed up, it was like a famous move star had come. Tim was looking especially good tonight: ripped jeans, black shirt and leather jacket. He turned to Sylvia and looked into her gorgeous blue-green eyes and said, "I'm gonna go talk to Tim, okay, baby?"

Sylvia smiled coyly. "Sure, Dally. Come back, though, okay?"

Dally weaved his way through the crowd. A new song was playing on the stereo.

_This is where I'll be  
So heavenly  
So come and dance with me, Michael _

Dally reached Tim. The older boy acknowledged him by nodding. Dally remembered the night when he'd kissed Tim. He was partially drunk, but so was Tim. He remembered Tim's hands in his hair, his arms around him… Dally shook his head.

_So Sexy, I'm sexy  
so come and dance with me Michael _

I'm all that you see, you want to see  
came and dance with me Michael

"Hey." Tim half-smiled. He lit a cigarette and handed it to Dally.

"Thanks." Dally took it and stuck it in his mouth.

"Who's that your with?" Tim nodded to Sylvia, who was putting the moves on another kid.

"Oh, that's Sylvia. I'm not really dating her, but… yeah." Dally broke off, uncomfortably.

"Oh. She's pretty cute."

"Not as cute as you." Dally covered his mouth with his hands. The words had slipped out before he could stop them. _Oh, shit. Oh shitty shit shit, motherfucking hell, damn, fuck!_

_So close now your so close now  
come and dance with me  
come and dance with me  
So come and dance with me_

Tim laughed. "Thanks." He ran a hand through his dark hair.

Dally looked at him with a kind of determined air. "I mean it, you know. You are better looking than her."

_Michael you're the boy with all the leather hips  
Sticky hair, sticky hips stubble on my sticky lips  
Michael your the only one I ever want only one I ever want only one I ever want_

Again, Tim chuckled. "Thanks, Dal."

"Tim? Do you remember anything about this one night here?"

"I remember a lot of nights here, Dally. When?"

"Uh, about a month ago… We were both drunk and… er… I kissed you and…"

Tim looked at him, a strange gleam in his eyes. "Why?"

"I was thinking if I meant anything by it and you meant anything by it and…."

_Beautiful boys on a beautiful dance floor  
Michael your dancing like a beautiful dance-whore  
Michael waiting on a Silver platter now  
and nothing matters now_

"And what if I did mean something by it?"

"Then I would tell you if I meant something by it."

Tim was silent a moment. Then he said, "I did, Dal. I meant everything by it."

_This is what I am I am a man so come and dance with me Michael_

Dally's face seemed to glow. He leaned against the wall by Tim and whispered, "so did I."

_So strong now it's strong now  
so come and dance with me Michael _

I'm all that you'll be you'll ever see  
So come and dance with me Michael

Tim's hand inched along the wall before it found Dally's. He grasped it, and their fingers intertwined. Dally leaned his head next to Tim's. "Let's get outa here," he murmured.

_So close now You're close now  
Come and dance with me come and dance with me So come and dance with me! _

Tim grinned. Freeing his hand from Dally's, they ran upstairs. They ran down the hall until they found an empty bedroom. Dally flung the door open and pressed Tim up against the wall. He crushed his lips against Tim's and wrapped his arms around him. Tim moaned against Dally's mouth and wound his arms around Dally's neck, grabbing a handful of blonde hair.

_Michael you're the boy with the leather hips sticky hair sticky lips stubble on my sticky hips_

Dally freed his mouth from Tim's and he pressed his lips against Tim's rough cheek. Kissing his way down Tim's cheek to the older boy's neck, he nibbled the soft skin.

_Beautiful boys on a beautiful dance floor Michael you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore  
Michael waiting on a silver platter now  
and nothing matters now!  
nothing matters now nothing matters now and nothing matters now_

Tim groaned and pushed Dally off, throwing him on the bed. He jumped on top of Dally and straddled the younger boy's with his knees. Dally fought his way to Tim's mouth again. He kissed him deeply and worked his tongue through Tim's lips. Tim nipped at Dally's lower lip and broke away, smiling. It was one of the first times Dally had ever seen him really smile. Dally grinned back and put his arms around Tim. He pulled the older boy against the pillows and they kissed again, before closing their eyes.

_Michael you're the boy with the leather hips sticky hair sticky lips stubble on my sticky lips Beautiful boys on a beautiful dance floor  
Michael you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore  
Michael waiting on a silver platter now...  
and nothing matters now!_

As Tim listened to the last lyric of the song, he knew it was true. Looking at Dally's sleeping form, nothing mattered to him now. Nothing except Dally.

* * *

Alicia had seen her brother go upstairs with Dally. When Angela returned from wherever the hell she'd gone with Bryon, Alicia told her.

"Really? They went upstairs together and everything?"

"Yep. Well, we'd better get going. It's gonna be a long walk home."

"We're walking?"

"Yeah. Tim's too busy to give us a ride."

**A/N:** _(Pants) That was a fucking long one! Hopefully that will satisfy you till I can get chapter 9 up. And I seriously hope that it wasn't too OOC of Tim to write the letters. But he had no one to talk to! (Hugs Angsty!Tim) Please review! Also, it's my spring break, so expect another chapter soon. (i.e. I'll try to get it up before Friday.)_


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N:**_ Thank you all SOOOOO much for reviewing! (Hugs all of her reviewers) _

_Reviewers: Can't… breathe…Liz… let… let GO!_

_Liz: No! (Grins and hugs tighter)_

_Reviewers: (Suffocate and die) _

_Liz: … oops… (laughs nervously) _

**A/N Strikes Back:** _This chapter mostly revolves around the main pairings in the story: Tim/Dally, Bryon/Angela and Alicia/OMC. While there is very little actual Angela/Bryon, but they talk on the phone and have a date together. BTW: I don't remember the name of Ponyboy's school, so I made one up. _

**Disclaimer:** _I only own the plot, Alicia and all the characters you don't recognize. Angela, Curly, Tim and Co. belong to S.E. Hinton _

* * *

Light blazed through the window. Tim's eyes opened slowly. He blinked three times and shielded the light from his face. Tim rolled over and looked at Dally. The usually hard lines in his face were smoothed in sleep and he looked younger than sixteen. Tim lifted his hand and touched the boy's face. Dally's eyes fluttered open and, seeing Tim, he smiled.

"Morning." Dally whispered. The younger greaser wrapped his arms around Tim and pulled himself close to him. Dally buried his face in Tim's black hair and inhaled. Tim smelled like leather, cigarette smoke and pine. He kissed Tim's curls and rested his head on his shoulder. Soon, Dally's breathing was slow and even. Tim knew he had fallen back asleep.

Slowly, the older greaser untangled himself from Dally's embrace. He found his shirt on the floor and pulled it on. His leather jacket had been tossed carelessly into a chair and he grabbed it. He walked back to the bed and gently kissed Dally's cheek. Casting one last loving glance at Dally's sleeping form, he walked quietly out of the room.

* * *

The door to the Shepard home opened and closed with a soft _click_. Tim saw Alicia asleep on the couch. She was lying on her back with one of her arms hanging off and her fingers grazed the floor. She was covered with one blanket that exposed her feet. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling.

Angela was asleep in their large armchair. She was curled up in a ball with a blanket around her shoulders and one on her lap. Her head was resting on a small pillow. She sighed softly and murmured something.

Tim walked over to Alicia and pulled the blanket down over her feet. He heard her moving. "What time is it?" She asked, groggily.

"'Round eight."

She opened one eye and smiled. "Did you have fun at the party last night?"

"It was all right."

"Dally was there. He disappeared around eight. Funny thing is, so did you."

"Yeah, we hung out for a while…"

"Where were you?" She demanded.

"None of your business." He snapped. "Where did Angela go with that Bryon kid? And where were you half of the party?"

"I was sitting on the couch with a girl from my school! You can ask Angela!"

"Ask Angela what?" Alicia's outburst had woken Angela. She sat up and blinked. "God, can you be any louder?" She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Where was Alicia during the party?" Tim was pretty pissed.

"I dunno. She was sitting with some girl from our school, Rachel or something."

"And where were you?" Tim rounded on Angela.

For a moment, she looked amazed. "I was with Bryon. We went for a walk, I swear, Tim. So don't go talkin' my ears off about how dead he is, because we didn't have sex or anything."

Alicia burrowed down under her blanket. "Honestly, Tim, when did you start caring about Angel and me? We're good girls. We don't whore ourselves." She yawned.

Alicia's definition of "good" was to not have sex. She didn't care that she drank, smoked, stole and swore enough to put a sailor to shame.

"Yeah, Tim, we're good girls. Now please go away; I'm tired."

As Tim climbed the stairs, he wondered why all of a sudden he _did_ care about his sisters. Under normal circumstances, he would have never pulled a blanket down over Alicia's feet, or yelled at Angela because she had a boyfriend. Maybe it was because he didn't sleep much last night. Was he going to turn into one of those annoying older brothers that worried about their younger siblings? Was it because he was happy about having Dally? Tim shook his head and cautiously opened the door to his parents' room. They were sound asleep. The door to Curly's room was open and he peered inside. Curly was asleep, too. Tim issued a sigh a relief. No one heard him come home. If anyone did, he would have had an earful of, "You're such a bad influence, Timothy! Do you even stop and think about your brother and sisters?" And it was even worse when his mother cussed him out in Spanish.

Tim walked into his room. He threw his jacket onto the floor and exchanged his jeans for a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. Tim crawled into bed, laid his head on his pillow and was instantly asleep.

* * *

When Tim opened his eyes again, it was warmer and brighter. He stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen. Alicia and Angela were dressed and at the kitchen table. Alicia was in a green shirt, baggy black pants that Tim was positive had once belonged to Curly and black boots. Her hair was in a long braid over her shoulder. Angela was in a white skirt, a tight red top and red sandals. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail. "Morning, Timmy." Angela smiled, broadly.

Tim grunted in response.

"Mom and Dad are at work. Curly's already left." Angela said. She stood and went to the refrigerator. "Ali, we're out of milk."

"So?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "So can you go down to the store and get some?"

"Fine." Alicia got to her feet and walked to the vase on top of the refrigerator. Her parents usually kept money in it if they ran out of something. She grabbed a handful of change and walked out the door.

* * *

The bright sun beat down on Alicia's head, hot and blazing. Her steel-toed black boots clunked on the ground, two sizes too big for her and her baggy pants swished behind her. As she walked on the cracked sidewalk, past the run-down houses, she counted the change. "One, two, three, oh, that's a nickel, so that makes eight, nine, another nickel, fourteen…" She trailed off when she heard a noise in front of her.

Three Socs were circled around something. When she moved closer, she saw it was a boy. The boy had obviously tried to defend himself because one of the Socs was getting a black eye, but now they had cornered him. The boy was huddled on the ground and the one with a black eye kicked him hard.

Now Alicia was mad. She liked to play fair. To outnumber someone was one thing. But to outnumber them and kick them when they were down was downright _wrong_ in her eyes. She wasn't one to spontaneously jump into a fight, but this was too much for her to bear.

"Leave him the fuck alone!" She shouted. Shoving the change into her pocket, she clenched her fists at her sides.

The Socs looked at her. Black-eye laughed. "And who are you?"

"What difference does that make? Leave him the fuck alone or I'll kick your ass!" _Oh, Christ they're gonna kill me._ She thought. All of them were quite tall and big with muscles as big as footballs. Alicia was small and skinny.

They laughed again. "I'd like to see you try." One of the Socs walked toward her. "Like you could even _dream_ of kicking my ass." He threw a punch at her head. Alicia ducked and punched him in the face. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to beat itself out of her chest. The Soc was clutching his nose. Alicia looked at her hand. There was blood on her knuckles. He stumbled back to his friends.

The other two looked at her, stunned, and ran at her. Alicia took a deep breath. _Oh, God, motherfucker, shit, what the hell did I get myself into?_ The first one grabbed her around the waist and Black-Eye and Nose-Bleed cracked their knuckles. _Shit._ As Black-Eye walked toward her, she kicked. Her foot hit him squarely in the groin. She kicked again; her foot struck him in the stomach. He fell over.

Using a free arm, she punched the guy holding her in the mouth. He released her and grabbed his mouth. She kicked him in the stomach. While he was doubled-over, she kneed him in the face. Nose-Bleed ran at her, blood running down his face. He grabbed her by the hair. Alicia jerked away and she felt some of her hair rip out. He stood, triumphant, holding a chunk of her hair. She sprinted as fast as she could at him and punched his stomach. A split second later, he retaliated by punching her face. She could feel her lip breaking and swelling. Black-Eye kicked her from behind, and she fell.

One of them kicked her, hard in the stomach. She groaned. Another punched her in the face. As they proceeded to beat the shit out of her, she curled up, trying to shield their blows. The kid she'd tried to help was unconscious it seemed. His face was swollen and bruised. _He's__ in worse shape than me. I can still fight._

She jumped to her feet and charged at Nose-Bleed. She swung her foot up and kicked him in the stomach. Then she slammed her foot on his and kicked him in the groin. She spun around and grabbed the one that had grabbed her. She wrapped an arm around his neck and got him in a headlock. Making a fist, she punched him in the face and kicked him in the stomach. Black-Eye came at her. She kicked him once more in the stomach and slammed on his foot.

Alicia laughed as she saw the Socs run. They scrambled down an alley and turned the corner, sprinting like the hosts of hell were after them. She stumbled over to the kid. He wasn't really a kid, she decided. He was about her age with shaggy dark hair and pale skin. He was wearing a plain white shirt and jeans. He was okay-looking, but very scrawny with thin limbs and big hands. She reached out and gently touched his face. His eyes opened. He had very pretty eyes; they were soft brown with long dark lashes. She smiled at him. "Hey."

He blinked. "Are they gone?" He saw her injuries. "Did they beat you up, too?"

"Yeah, they got me pretty bad, the fuckers. But, don't worry, I chased them away."

"_You_? But you're a girl!" His eyes widen in disbelief.

She scowled. "So? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't fight."

"But… but you're small and they were all big. How'd ya do it?"

"I fought them. I kicked them and punched them." She lifted her foot, revealing her boots. "Steel-toed boots hurt like hell to be kicked in, let me tell you."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "What's your name?"

"Alicia Shepard."

His eyes widened. "Shepard? Your last name's Shepard? Are you related to Tim and Curly Shepard?"

She rolled her eyes. "As much as I hate to admit it, I am related to them. They're my brothers. And a real pain in the ass to be blatantly honest. Who're you?"

"Travis Williams. So, did Tim teach you to fight?"

"Yeah, he taught me and my sister, Angela. She doesn't really like to fight too much, though. I've been in fights all my life. Now do you believe that I can fight? Or do I need to prove it to ya?"

Travis shrugged. "I guess. Someday you'll have to prove it to me, though. Once we're not as fucked up."

Alicia stood and helped him shakily to his feet. "Here, I'll walk you home if you come to the store with me. You look pretty messed up."

"Thanks." He put an arm around her shoulders and leaned heavily on her. "What do you need at the store?"

"Gotta get some milk. Walk with me; don't worry, I'll walk slow." Together, they hobbled down the street. Passerby stopped and stared at the small, dark girl supporting the tall boy. "We're almost there." Five minutes later, they were walking down the Dairy aisle in the grocery store. Alicia grabbed a half-gallon of milk and they shuffled to the cashier. He raised his eyebrows at them but didn't say anything.

"So, where do you live?" She asked when they got out of the store.

"Division Street."

"Really? That's two streets away from my house. Where do you go to school?"

"Jefferson."

"That's where I go, too. What grade are you in?"

"Tenth. You?"

"Oh, I'm in ninth." She looked sad for a moment. _Angela's__ dated guys older than her before, why shouldn't I? _She shook her head. Why was she thinking about dating this guy? She barely knew him.

"Oh." They were silent for a moment. Alicia looked at the side of his face. He had a nice profile, she decided. Overall, he was nice-looking, but he probably looked better when he wasn't all beat-up like this. They tottered down the street in silence. Alicia was getting uncomfortable.

"So… why'd they beat you up?"

"I don't know. I was just walking along, minding my own business, and they get outa the car and start beating me. Then I socked one guy and it got worse."

"I'm sorry."

"Aw, don't be. We lowlifes just hafta stick together."

"We aren't lowlifes." She said, surprised. "We're people, just like they are."

"To them we are lowlifes. We're the scum on the soles of their shoes."

They were now going down Division. Travis stopped her in front of a small, white house. There were five kids in the front yard. Three boys and two girls. None of them could have been over the age of six. They stood and ran at him. "Travis! Mommy, Travis is home!" One of the girls cried.

Travis turned and looked at her. He smiled and waved. "Thank you!" He called.

"No problem!" She grinned back at him. As she walked home, there was a new spring in her step. She had a new crush.

* * *

The moment Alicia walked in the door, she wished she hadn't. She was greeted to the lovely sound of Tim yelling his head off at her. His voice, already very loud,seemed to project when he was pissed. "What took you so long, why do you have a fat lip, where the fuck did you go, who did this to you…" On and on.

"I got in a fight on the way there, I'm fucking sorry!" She yelled over Tim.

"Who'd you get in a fight with?" Tim shouted.

"Some Socs, but I'm fine!"

"Who were they?"

"Jesus Christ, Tim, you don't have to yell!" Angela had come downstairs. The fighting stopped. "Just let her tell the story, then decide if you need to freak out about it." She rubbed her temples. "Good God."

Alicia took a deep breath. "I was on my way to the store when I saw these Socs beating on some kid. He was on the ground and there was one of him and three of them and they were kicking him _while he was on the fucking ground_. And that's not fair, so I stepped in and they started beating _me_, but then I kicked their sorry asses. So I helped the kid and we went to the store together and then I walked him home."

"That's it? You saved some loser, got in a fight, went to the store, took him home and then came back?" Tim laughed. "Alicia, you've got to let people fight their own battles."

"What about when we fought the Socs the other night for Curly, Tim? It was all your idea, but it wasn't you that they beat up."

"That's different-" Tim began to protest, but Alicia cut him off.

"No, it's really not. You still fought someone else's battle for them. Tim, you are such a fucking hypocrite. You can say, 'well I knew him,' but it's the principle of the matter."

Angela laughed. "She's got you there, Tim."

Tim scowled at her. "But, Alicia, that's not the point-"

"Then what _is _the point, Tim? The fact that I'm right, you're wrong and you can't accept it? Sometimes people can't fight for themselves. If everyone just sat back and watched others struggle, then this world would be even more fucked up than it already is." With those words, she tossed her hair back and walked upstairs, leaving a very irate Tim behind her.

Angelahad beenlistening to their argumentwhile lounging onthe couch when the phone rang. She grabbed it before Tim did. When he was pissed, he tended to yell on the phone, scaring the shit out of the poor guy who was calling. "Yeah?"

"Angela?"

The girl's face brightened. "Oh… hi, Bryon. What're you doing?"

"Nothing much… er, Angela, wanna… wanna go out tonight?"

Angela giggled. "Sure. I'd love to."

He sounded relieved. "Cool. I'll pick you up around six?"

She giggled again. "Sure. I'll be ready."

Tim was sitting in the armchair when Angela hung up. "I have a date tonight!" She squealed when she hung up.

"With who?"

"Bryon." Angela ran up to her room, giggling and singing to herself.

Tim rolled his eyes and leaned his head back in the chair. He began to think about Dally. An unfamiliar, but not unpleasant, feeling swept over Tim. He'd never felt like it about a girl before. It felt nice. Closing his eyes, he imagined Dally and him. Dally had his arms around Tim and they were so close… Dally kissed him and pulled off his shirt. Then Dally removed Tim's with that sexy half-smile that Tim always loved. Dally's hands were moving lower, they were all over Tim's stomach, the were grazing the top of Tim's jeans. Now his fingers were working with the zipper. He unzipped them and pulled off the jeans. They were just about to pull off the boxers…

It had to be that exact moment when Curly came through the door.

"Hey, Tim, you're home!" Curly shouted, interrupting Tim's little X-rated fantasy.

"Damnit, Curly!" Tim was so surprised, he almost fell out of his chair.

"Where were you, man? Angel and Ali came home alone."

"I, uh, had sex with a chick at Buck's house and fell asleep with her…" Tim replied, thinking fast.

"Really? Who was it?"

Tim shrugged. "I don't know. Where were you? I came home, went to bed, woke up and you were gone."

"I was with the gang. They wanted to know where you were."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you say I was?"

Curly shrugged. "I forget. What's on TV?" He turned the television on and sat down.

Tim rolled his eyes. Typical Curly. Forget everything important and watch TV. The older Shepard got up and went to his room, where he could continue fantasizing without any interruptions.

**

* * *

****LAST A/N:** _Ooh, naughty Tim! (Imagines kinky Tim/Dally sex) (Excuse me, I have to go take a cold shower and 30 mile jog…) Once again, thank you for all the nice reviews! If you wanna see how this fic is progressing, go to my LJ- w. w. w. l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m / u s e r s / e v i l t e d d y b e a r 4 0 / Just take out all the spaces. All you have to do is shift through all my angst and whining and there'll be something along the lines of: Outsiders fic updates. And, if you want to, leave a comment along the lines of: Jesus Christ, Liz, update this bloody fic or I'll confiscate your_ The Killers_ CD. (Realizes what she's just said.) NOOOOOOO! Not my CD! (Sobs in the corner) Please review! It gives me encouragement to continue!_ _(Whimpers and hugs her CD)_ The Killers 


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N:**_ Thank you all SOOOO much! I love all of you! streetpanther1, I'd appreciate it if you didn't burn my _The Killers_ CD, please. :) And, by the way, this chapter contains explicit Tim/Dally. So, if you're a homophobe or very squeamish, hit the god damn "back" button on your browser. I'm not in the mood to receive any reviews like this: **oMgWtFlOlBbQ, gOd MaId AdAm N eVe, NoT tIm N dAlLy!111111 iM gOnNa TeLl PrEsIdEnT bUsH!1111 i BeT you're a bAbY kIlLer 2!1** I've never gotten a review like that, but my little black heart will bleed if I do. And, starbryte, the last part of what Curly was going to say in chapter eight was, "And Tim will be groping Dally the whole time." _

**Disclaimer:** _I only own Alicia, Travis and all the other characters you don't recognize. Everything else is © S.E. Hinton_

* * *

"And the moment Franz Ferdinand stepped out of the car, the assassin shot two bullets. One struck Franz; the other hit his wife, Sofia…"

_La la la… _Alicia was leaning back in her chair, filing her fingernails. Her long hair draped onto the desk behind her, making it hard for the kid that sat there to take notes. She examined her index nail. _I wonder what Travis's favorite color is. Should I paint my nails that color? But what if it's an ugly one, like shit brown? Or it could be nice like deep green or scarlet. Maybe I'll see him in the hall today. Then I'll ask him. _She looked at the clock. There were five minutes until the bell. Then it was off to English. Gathering up her mess of black hair, she grabbed a hair tie and braided it. _I wonder if he likes my hair better in a braid or down. Maybe I should just put it in a bun and forget about it. I have to ask Angela; she'll know what to do. _

Although Alicia hated to admit it, she was somewhat jealous of her sister. Even if they were twins, Angela was prettier than her. Angela wore make-up and fixed her hair every morning. Alicia hated make-up and rarely fixed her hair. For that matter, she rarely brushed it. It was always falling down her back or in a messy braid. Angela was stunning no matter what she wore or what she did to her hair. It infuriated her sister, because Alicia liked to compete with her. And, no matter what Alicia did, no matter how much make-up she wore, no matter how dramatic her hair was, she was never as pretty as Angela. So she gave up on make-up and hair spray.

The bell rang, and Alicia leapt to her feet and ran after Angela. Her sister was talking to another girl and from the sounds of their conversation, Angela was telling this chick to, "back off Bryon, or I'll beat the shit outa you, and that's a promise." Alicia laughed to herself. Angela was tough, but she was too sure of herself sometimes. The girl scoffed and walked away.

"Angel, I have a problem."

"Yes, yes you do."

"No, I'm serious."

"Spill it. There's only four minutes till the tardy bell rings and my next class is on the other side of the building."

Alicia took a deep breath. "I think I like someone and uh..."

"You're worried about your appearance because you know that guys like that." Finished Angela, with a smirk.

Alicia blinked. "Er… yeah."

"One thing, Ali. Take out the braid and put your hair in a bun." Alicia did as she was told. Angela reached up and pulled a few strands loose. "There. Now you look like a real girl." Angel smiled, turned and strutted away, passing several guys who stopped and stared.

Alicia looked at the clock. Three minutes until the tardy bell rang, and she couldn't risk another late. She already had three, and a fourth would mean detention and she had rehearsal tonight. Miss Narwin would bust an artery if she missed another one. Alicia sprinted down the hall. The only problem was her boots were too big and she tripped right into someone. They were carrying several books, and they spilled all over the ground. "Ouch! Watch where you're going!" Exclaimed a familiar voice.

"Sorry, sorry!" Alicia bent down to pick up the books. As she looked up, her eyes met soft, dark-brown velvet ones. "Travis!" She cried.

He looked startled. "Oh! Hi, Alicia. Feel better after the fight?"

"_Sí, hombré. Estoy bien, y tù_?" Travis stared at her. _Oh, God, it's happening again. _Whenever Alicia got very nervous, she spoke in Spanish. All the Shepard children spoke Spanish; after all, their mother was from Mexico and she'd insisted that they learn it. She blushed a violent shade of crimson. "I'm sorry, I just got out of Spanish class and…"

"But, the Spanish room is on the other side of the building."

_Shit._ "Uh, did I say Spanish? I meant French, uh, whatsyourfavoritecolor?" She blurted. _Shit, shit, of fuckety, fuck, fuck. _Fortunately, Travis laughed. "Black or blue. What's yours?"

"Uh… I forget."

He smiled at her. Alicia's legs melted, and she grabbed the wall next to her. "You're so weird." He laughed as he walked away.

Alicia sighed. _He laughed at me. Is that a good or a bad thing?_ Her happiness was shattered as a loud ringing filled the air. "Oh _shit_!" She screeched as she sprinted down the hall to English.

"You're late, Miss Shepard." Alicia's teacher, Mrs. Boleyn, was a tall, skinny woman with a hooked nose, grey hair and yellow skin. She looked down at her student and raised an eyebrow. "I would give you detention, but Miss Narwin informed me that you were in the play, so I'm giving you a break."

"Thanks, Mrs. Boleyn."

"Take your seat. As I was saying, I want you all to take out a pen and a piece of paper and write a three page essay on your family."

Alicia collapsed in her seat, letting the teacher's words wash over her. She closed her eyes and envisioned Travis taking her somewhere, like the movies. Then she heard the sound of pens scratching on paper. _Huh?_ She sat up. _What am I supposed to be doing again? _She looked anxiously at the kid's paper next to her. _My older brother is amazing. He talks with me all the time and he taught me how to play soccer and basketball._

The thought of Tim or Curly teaching Alicia anything besides how to blow smoke rings and fightwas almost laughable. _Write an essay on your family. What a shitty idea. What the hell am I supposed to write? My mom is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who drinks more than an elephant during a draught, my dad smokes like a chimney, oldest brother sleeps with guys, my other brother has the mentality of a fifth- grader on acid, my sister is a whore without actually having sex, and I'm a loudmouthed smartass who couldn't get a boyfriend no matter how hard I try. Yeah, that's a real great essay. _She rolled her eyes and picked up her pen. By the end of the period, she had little more than a paragraph.

_My mother came from Mexico in the back of a guy's truck. She was then smuggled into Oklahoma by her sister. Here, she met my father, the local bartender. Together, they had four children. Tim, the oldest, 18, was a womanizer until he met Dallas Winston. He fell in love with Dally, and now they are a couple, and Dally is Tim's bed-mate, if you know what I mean. My other brother, Curly, 15, has a good heart, but is lacking in the brain area. My twin sister, Angela, plays and ditches boys like most kids do with toys. She has yet to find someone she really likes. And I'm a loudmouth, smart-aleck who needs an attitude adjustment and a boyfriend._

Alicia looked at her "essay." She decided she needed to work on it at home.

* * *

Tim dropped onto the couch. He had just gotten back from the store to buy some cigarettes. Oh, how he loved being eighteen. He could buy cigarettes and not even have to have a fake ID. The downside of it was that he usually had to buy cigarettes for all his siblings, too. Tim lit one and leaned back on the couch. At that moment, the phone rang. _Probably mom or dad wanting me to come pick them up because mom hit a stop sign again. _"Hello?"

"Tim?" It was a male voice, but not his father or Curly or any of Angela's boy-toys.

"Hey, Dal," Tim said, trying, and failing, to sound sexy after inhaling smoke.

"Wanna do something?" _How does he manage to sound so hot all the time? _Tim pondered, as he imagined what Dally was planning on doing. "Tim?"

Tim fell back to reality with a painful crash. "Oh, yeah, sure. My place or yours?"

"Uh, you can come over here. Aren't your sisters and brother going to be home in half an hour? When does their school get out?"

"Nope. They're all in their school play and have to stay after for two hours." Curly had been cast after he was caught putting a cherry bomb in a school toilet. The teachers thought it would make him better behaved. He was cast as the Thanksgiving turkey.

"So, can I go over there?"

"Sure."

"Nice. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"See ya then." Tim hung up and ran into the bathroom. He sprayed a little cologne on and grabbed Angela's hairbrush in a vain attempt to tame his curls. Then he ran back into his living room and straightened it up a little. He folded the blankets that were strewn all over the floor and brushed the breadcrumbs off the couch. Sighing he fell back onto the couch. Then he looked down at what he was wearing. A stained, dirty white shirt and a pair of faded jeans. He looked like a homeless person. _Whatever. I'll just change._ Tim was just about to pull the shirt off, when the doorbell rang. As he ran to answer it, he tripped over a chair leg, crashing onto the floor. "Shit!" Panting, he grabbed the doorknob.

Dally was standing on the step, looking mildly amused. "What happened?"

"I tripped."

"Over what?"

Tim looked at his feet. "A chair."

Dally laughed. "A chair?"

Tim wrapped his arms around Dally, pulling him closer. "Yeah," he said, gently kissing him. "A chair."

Dally laughed, softly. "Tim… we're still outside, people are on the streets, mmm, oh, God!" Tim's hand had brushed over Dally's groin, and the younger boy's knees buckled. He grabbed onto Tim before he fell to the floor.

Tim cocked an eyebrow. "Wanna go inside? It's more private in there."

Dally grinned, knowing full well what Tim had in mind. "Okay."

The older greaser pulled Dally into the living room. Tim made to kiss Dally, but pulled away at the last second. Then, he skipped away and went to the other side of the room. Dally was in no mood to be played with. He was male, he was horny, and, frankly, he wanted Tim to fuck him. "Tim," Dally whined.

Tim smiled, seductively. "Yes, Dal?" When Tim was caught off guard, Dally charged at him, full-force and tackled him. The younger boy pressed his lips to Tim's with surprising strength. When they broke away, Tim groaned, "It's called 'building the sexual tension,' Dally, Jesus Christ."

Dally's hand slipped up Tim's shirt. "I don't care about sexual tension, Tim." Dally's white-blond hair fell over his forehead and his ice-blue eyes were sparkling with lust and love. He pinched down hard on one of Tim's nipples. Tim moaned and clutched the carpet. The muscles on his forearm flexed. Dally grinned and lifted the hem of Tim's shirt, feeling around his chest and stomach.

"Da-Dally…" Tim's voice was hoarse.

Dally blinked, innocently. "Yes, Tim?"

"Please, please…" He had now resorted to pleading.

Dally's hands went lower. His fingers were tracing circles around Tim's navel. Then, they grazed the top of his boxers that were showing over her jeans. Tim groaned and arched his back. Dally grinned wickedly as he toyed with the button on Tim's jeans. What seemed like an eternity later, he unbuttoned them and was unzipping them at an achingly slow pace. Tim whimpered and gripped the carpet tighter. His breath came in short, ragged gasps and a little perspiration formed on his forehead.

Finally, Dally had removed Tim's jeans. He hooked his fingers over the elastic waistband of Tim's boxers. As Dally started to pull them down, Dally paused and frowned. "What's wrong?" Tim rasped as he sat up.

Dally started unbuttoning his own shirt and smirked. "I felt overdressed."

"Oh, no you don't." Tim reached up and grabbed Dally's hand. "You undressed me, now I get to repay the favor. Now, lay down." Tim shoved Dally down on the ground and straddled his waist. He bent down and kissed Dally roughly, as he played with the buttons on his shirt. The moment said article of clothing was off, Tim's hands were all over Dally's chest. He started to play with the button and zipper on Dally's jeans.

Tim undressed Dally much faster than Dally did to him. Within thirty seconds, Dally was stripped down to his boxers. Tim was lying on top of him, devouring his mouth. Dally's hands were tangled in Tim's hair. Neither of them heard the creak of the porch or the door open.

* * *

Alicia and Travis walked home together. She didn't have to go to rehearsal after all that afternoon. They were rehearsing the last half of the play and since she was only in the first half, she didn't have to go. She met Travis outside the school and they decided to go to her house for a while, because his siblings' babysitter was at his.

As she reached for the doorknob, Travis noticed the tattoo on the inside of her left wrist. It was just a small tattoo of a blue and green fairy with black hair. He gently touched it with the tip of his index finger and she felt like her skin was burning. She blushed and he smiled at her.

Alicia opened the door and the first thing she heard was a moan of pleasure. It sounded a lot like… "Tim!" Lying on the floor was her brother, Tim Shepard, and underneath him was Dallas Winston. Tim's hand was down Dally's boxers and both of them were flushed and sweaty. It was one thing to come home and find your older brother having sex with a girl, which Alicia had actually had happen. But it was a whole other deal to come home, with the guy you liked, and find your brother on top of another guy.

Both Tim and Dally looked up. Dally had a stupid grin on his face and Tim looked surprised. "Alicia! Er, this isn't what it looks like!"

Her eyebrows rose and were in danger of disappearing under her hair. "Oh, really, Tim? This is what it looks like: you are lying on top of another fucking _guy_ and both of you are three-fourths naked. Your hand was down his pants, and unless I'm mistaken, you were about to have sex." She swayed a little and went very pale. "So, Tim, what were you _really_ doing?"

Tim looked down. "Er…"

Alicia laughed, almost hysterically. "I knew it!" After her laughing fit was over, she said, "so, Tim, why were you having sex on our living room floor instead of in a bedroom or bathroom like a normal person?" Her voice was level, calm even, and she was looking at him like a cat looking at prey.

Tim coughed. "We, uh, couldn't, er…"

"Oh, Jesus, don't tell me that you couldn't even make it upstairs. Christ, even _Curly_ can make it upstairs." She groaned and sank down onto the couch, burying her face in her hands.

"Well-" Tim had, by now, rolled off Dally and was sitting upright. Dally was still lying flat on his back, but he wasn't as tense as before.

"Well _nothing_, Tim! You had _him_ come over, and then you were about to have sex on our living room floor! You're just pretty fucking lucky that I came home before ma or dad did! If they woulda come home first, they woulda skinned ya! Tim, when are ya gonna start being a little more responsible about where you are when you're having sex? Remember Monica?" Her voice was rising to a more hysterical pitch.

Tim winced. "Oh, God, don't mention her…"

Alicia stood and turned to Travis, who was standing in the doorway. "I am _so_ sorry! If I would've known, I swear, I-"

Travis only smiled. "It's okay. I mean, I understand. We can go back to my place."

Her face brightened. "Okay, thanks. Let's go." As she walked out the door, she turned and looked straight at Tim. "I'm not finished with you yet." She said in a dangerously low voice.

* * *

The moment Alicia and Travis were out the door, Tim faced Dally. "Well, that could have gone much worse. Wanna finish upstairs?"

Dally grinned and nodded. "Let's go. Just… lock the door this time."

**

* * *

****A/N:** _Okay, just a quick note: Track season is starting and I have to stay after school for two hours for practice, and I have homework. So, updates will be less frequent, but I PROMISE, when I get the chance, I will try to type my little heart out. So, expect an update once every one or two weeks. And, just because I love you all SOOO much, here's a snippet of chapter 11…_

**As Angela walked through the front door, she heard the shower running. _Finally, Tim is taking a shower._ She thought to herself. But, wait, that wasn't Tim's voice she was hearing. Or, it was Tim's voice, but why did she hear Dally too? She remembered what Alicia had said about seeing Dally and Tim having sex on their living room floor, but wouldn't they have learned by now? Angela tossed her bag and coat on the floor as she peered down the hall and saw the bathroom door open. _Oh, Jesus.__ Some people just never learn. They put locks on doors for reasons. _**

_(Cackles manically) Well, that's about it. Please review! (Runs off singing) Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? (Oh, God, I need to stop watching Moulin Rouge) _


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:** _(Bawling) I really need to stop watching "Moulin Rouge." Oh, God, that is by far the saddest movie I've seen in my LIFE! (Curls up, crying) And, why, you're wondering, am I giving you this pointless talk? Because, MR helped cure Liz of her WRITER'S BLOCK! So, this chapter will be the beginning of the angsty part of the fic. (But, sadly, Tim and Dally won't be bursting into song. You all must be terribly disappointed. Heh, wait until "Phantom of the Opera" comes out on DVD! (Has a mental image of Tim: Sing for me, my Angel of Music and Dally: He's there, the Phantom of the Opera!))Oh, God. (Bursts into fit of uncontrollable laughter.)) _

**A/N- part two:** _I've__ been having some more computer problems. And, I have track and soccer after school, but I'll try as hard as I bloody can to get the next chapter out. _

**_P.S._**_ I love you all. I really do. _

_**P.S.S:** Can anyone tell me what time of year the Outsiders took place. (i.e. Summer, fall, winter etc.)_

_**P.S.S.S:** For the sake of this fic, I've changed Curly's age. In here he's fifteen, so in the time the Outsiders takes place, he's sixteen. Just wanted to clear that up._

**Disclaimer:** _I only own the pathetic excuse for a plot, Alicia and any other characters you don't recognize. Everything else belongs to S.E. Hinton. (Dude, she wrote "The Outsiders" when she was sixteen. I feel so worthless and lazy now.)_

* * *

Alicia was sitting on the couch when Angela and Curly came through the door. Angela was obviously very pissed about something and Curly was trying to calm her down. "That worthless, no-good pile of shit! I wanna strangle her, throw her in a boiling pot of water, stuff her in a box and mail her to Japan, go to her house at night and knife her! Argh!" Angela flung herself down on the couch next to Alicia.

"Who do you want to kill?"

"Rose." Curly answered. He had several feathers in his hair, probably from his costume. "She told Miss Narwin that Angela was smoking in the bathroom-"

"Which I wasn't!"

"-and now Angel has detention before school tomorrow."

"Before school! _Before school_!" She sighed. "You are so lucky that you didn't have to go to rehearsal. The only good part was when Curly accidentally knocked Rose off the stage when he was in his turkey costume." Angela grinned. "So, what happened here?"

"Oh, God, you don't wanna know." "

"Actually, I do. If I didn't I wouldn't've asked. Hand me a smoke and talk."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled, pulling out two cigarettes. She lit them and handed one to Angela, who took a long drag. "Travis and I walked home together and he was gonna come over here-"

"Are you going out with him?"

"No. Not yet, anyway. So, I opened the door and there's Tim and Dally, pretty much doing it on the living room floor." Angela pulled a face and Curly, who was sitting on the floor, jumped to his feet and ran to a chair. "So, Tim and I yelled at each other for a while and I took Travis home. I came back and I didn't see Tim and Dally until I went upstairs, and realized that they were in Tim's room."

"What were they doing in Tim's room?" asked Angel, grinning.

Curly laughed. "Let's see, two hormone-ridden guys who are obviously in fucking love with each other, alone in an almost empty house, what do you think they were doing?" He looked up at the ceiling. "Are they still at it?"

A smile spread slowly over Angela's face. "Wanna go check?" Together, they crept up the stairs. Tim had most likely lost track of time. He wasn't expecting Alicia to come home for a while, and he was still under the assumption that Curly and Angela weren't coming home for at least another hour. The length of the rehearsals varied, after all.

Curly led the way down the hall to Tim's room. He peered through the keyhole and Angela and Alicia crouched down and looked under the door. All they could really see was Tim lying on his back. Dally was on top of him and they were, from what it appeared, making out. Dally's hands were tangled in Tim's hair, and Tim was stroking Dally's back. It actually would have been kind of sweet if it weren't their older brother. Or if they weren't naked.

Tim groaned loudly. Curly snorted and almost collapsed. "Curly!" Angela hissed.

The door swung open and with a _crack_, the doorknob hit Curly in the forehead. Curly toppled back and hit Alicia, who dropped onto Angela. Tim looked down at the pile of sprawled limbs.

"Ugh, Alicia, your ass is in my face!"

"Well Curly's crotch is in mine!"

"Bet you like that, huh, Ali?"

"Fuck off, bitch."

"Don't you fucking call me a bitch, you slut!"

Tim rolled his eyes and prodded Curly with his foot to stop the bickering. "Well?"

Curly sat up. He rubbed the perfect circle mark on his head. "Well _what_?"

Tim rolled his eyes. He had a blanket wrapped around his waist, but other than that was naked. "Don't act like a fucking twat, Curly. Not that you can help it, but…" He trailed off and smirked. "What were you doing outside my room?"

"Uh, that's a good question but…"

Angela was obviously ready for this one. "We needed a ride to the store to get cigarettes and we wanted to see if you were here, because you're eighteen and can buy them legally." She said, smoothly.

Tim raised an eyebrow. Dally appeared behind him, also with a blanket around his waist. He looked at them and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Well, look what we have here."

Angela got to her feet and gently touched the bruise on her shoulder where Curly's foot hit her. "Well, obviously you're _preoccupied_ and all that, so we'll leave you alone so you can get back to it." She grabbed Alicia and pulled her downstairs. The moment they reached the last step, they looked at each other and burst into insane laughter. Angela clung to her sister, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks, and Alicia gripped the stair rail, holding her stomach. After almost five minutes, they had gotten control of themselves. "Oh… oh, God." Angela took a deep breath. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining. At that second, Curly started coming down the stairs, when he tripped and fell down several steps, which set them off again.

* * *

"Wh-who are you?" Rose's face was a mask of frozen terror. Her pale hands shakily clutched the skirt of her long brown dress.

"How? I am Deer Girl, an Indian maiden. These are my people." Alicia stood tall and proud, her long hair in two braids and dressed in a calf-length buckskin dress. She gestured to the group behind her, also clad in fake skins. "We are the Cheyenne tribe- ya know what, Miss Narwin? That isn't even historically accurate! The real tribe that helped the Pilgrims was the Wampanoag tribe. Why'd you change it?"

Miss Narwin smiled, patiently. "Because, Alicia, 'Wampanoag' is too hard to remember."

"I remembered it," said Alicia stoutly.

"Well, yes, Alicia, I see that you did. However, the audience might not remember it."

"Or, they might remember it, and be pissed at you for fucking with history."

Rose perked up at the mention of 'fuck.' "Miss Narwin, Alicia said a curse word!"

"Aw, dry up, Rose." Alicia rolled her eyes. "You got to get used to hearing swearing, or else you'll be screwed in the real world."

Miss Narwin ignored them. "Now, I want you to start from the beginning of this scene."

Rose walked over to the left of the stage. She had a woven basket in her right hand, and in her left was a flower. She was picking the blooms and putting them in her basket. "It's _so_ nice to have fresh flowers around," she sang as she tossed more into her basket.

Alicia and her tribe came from the right. In one of Alicia's hands was a tomahawk and in the other was a knife. She brandished them at Rose, who turned. "Stop, stop!" Miss Narwin stood and waved her arms. "Alicia, you are _not_ to have weapons! How many times must I tell you?" She rubbed her forehead. "From the top!"

* * *

Angela strutted down the street. Her long hair streamed after her, and she was in a short skirt and tight blouse. A car full of teenage boys drove by and honked at her. She flashed them a brilliant smile. Angela was beautiful, and she knew it.

As she walked up her driveway, she saw the neighbors in their yard. It looked like they were moving, because there was a large van in their drive. Angela felt a twinge of sadness. She and Ali were minor friends with their fifteen-year-old daughter, Sharon, and Curly had once dated her. Angela wondered what he would have thought.

"Angela!" A pretty girl with long, wavy pale hair ran out of the house.

"Hi, Sharon. Long time, no see. What's the van for?"

Sharon glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, Tracey's movin' out." She pointed to a short, red-haired woman who staggered, cursing, to the moving van in her too-high heels. Tracey was Sharon's father's third wife. Shrugging, she said, "So, how're your brothers and sister?"

"Oh, Curly's fine. He's getting around, you know. Poor guy just can't find a chick to stay with for more than five minutes. And Ali and me are in the school play. She's at rehearsal now."

"And how's Tim?" There was a gleam of interest in Sharon's eyes when she mentioned the oldest Shepard. She had always loved Tim; in fact, she only dated Curly to get closer to him.

Angela shook her head. "Don't get your hopes up, Tim's spoken for."

Sharon's face fell. "Who is it this time? He ain't back with Monica is he?" Monica was one of Tim's more recent girlfriends. She was very pretty, exotic and dark, and, according to Tim, was amazing in bed. Not that that mattered to Angela or Alicia. Monica and Tim had broken up after she lured Tim into Angela and Alicia's bedroom. They came home and went to their room, when they opened the door, to find Tim and her in their bed. To make matters worse, their parents happened to walk by at that moment and they saw them together. They grounded Tim for five months, and even Tim didn't dare disobey them. Their father had the worst temper in the entire family, and even Tim was a little wary of him.

"Naw, he ain't back with her. He's with someone else."

"Who?"

Angela grinned. "I'm not tellin' you! He'd fucking _kill_ me."

"It ain't a guy, is it?"

Angela chose her words very carefully. "It… _might_ be." She didn't want to deny it too much, because then it would seem defensive, and Sharon would get ideas. The Shepards had their pride and they had to defend it. However, she couldn't straight out tell the truth, even if it seemed like she were joking.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means that I can't tell you the truth. If Tim were goin' with another guy, he'd be gay and that wouldn't be too cool. And if I said he was with a chick, you'd be pissed, so I ain't gonna say." Angela tossed her hair and walked to the door. "See ya 'round, Shar."

As she walked through the front door, she heard the shower running. She sighed with relief. _Finally, Tim is taking a shower._ She thought to herself. Her brothers could go weeks without showers and eventually, their mother would force them into the bathtub and scrub them. But, wait, that wasn't Tim's voice she was hearing. Or, it was Tim's voice, but why did she hear Dally too? Was she hearing things? Remembering Health class, she shuddered. People with schizophrenia heard voices and saw dead bodies. _Oh, God, don't let me go insane._ Then she remembered what Alicia had said about seeing Dally and Tim having sex on their living room floor. She rolled her eyes. Wouldn't they have learned by now? Angela tossed her bag onto the floor as she peered down the hall and saw the bathroom door open. _Oh, Jesus. Some people just never learn. They put locks on doors for reasons. _

* * *

Dally went over to Tim's house almost as soon as he woke up. As soon as he saw Tim's family leave, he snuck in through the living room window and, after crashing onto the floor, crept up to Tim's room. The older boy was still in bed, fast asleep. Dally shook him awake and kissed away the surprised expression on Tim's face when he awoke to find Dally standing over him.

After they spent the day laying around, smoking and watching TV, Dally snuggled up to Tim on the couch. Not for long, though, because he pulled away. "Jesus Christ, Tim, you fucking _stink_. What the hell have you been doing, rollin' around in garbage?"

"Sorry, Dal, but I have two sisters and a brother who spend about three hours each in the bathroom. _You_ try to get in to take a piss while Angela does her hair."

"Shouldn't matter. All I know is this: I won't be caught dead with you if you smell like that." Dally moved away.

Tim laughed. "Since when do you care what I look or smell like?"

Dallas shrugged. "You normally smell kinda good. Like smoke and your cologne and fresh air. Now you just smell like… _ass_."

The older greaser lit a cigarette. "How do you know what ass smells like?"

"'Cause I've slept with you," Dally said, as he dodged Tim's fist and laughed. "But, seriously, Tim, take a fucking shower. You smell like hell and your hair looks a fuck of a lot better when it's washed." His fingers touched one of Tim's dark curls. "It's so nice and shiny, like your sisters' hair."

Tim brushed Dally's hand away from his head. "Whatever, Dal. My hair always looks like hell." He stood and walked into the bathroom. "I'm taking a fucking shower now." He called. "There's some beer in the fridge and you can watch TV if you wanna." Tim didn't shut the door all the way, so Dally glanced in. Tim's back was to him and he was taking off his shirt. Dally loved the way Tim's back muscles flexed when he moved his arms. He loved the way when Tim yawned, his back arched like a cat's. Hell, he loved Tim period.

There was a soft _mew_ at Dally's feet. Speaking of cats: Angela's black kitten, Shadow, curled around his ankles. She looked up at him with her big, deep blue eyes. Dally bent down and picked up the small cat. Angela had found her last summer in an alley, curled up, half-dead behind a trash can. She took pity on the poor animal and took her home. Angela had, at first, fed her table scraps, until she and Alicia started to steal cat food from the store. Then Angela got a job: every Tuesday and Thursday, she waited tables at Max's, a small restaurant, where she was paid ten cents an hour.

Shadow reminded Dally of Tim. Both were long and lean with black hair and big, dark eyes. The cat even had a small scar on its cheek. Dally scratched Shadow behind the ears and she began to purr loudly. He looked down at her, almost tenderly. "You like that, don't you?" Dally asked, softly. She purred again and gave a small _mew_. He smiled as set her down, and then he walked to the kitchen. Upon opening the fridge, he found that there wasn't any beer. The water was running. As much as Dally didn't want to interrupt Tim's shower, he was in the mood for some beer. Besides, it wasn't like Dally had never seen Tim naked before. He walked to the door and pushed it open a little. "Hey, Tim!"

"What?" Tim stuck his head out of the shower curtain. His hair had soap in it and was hanging in his eyes.

"You don't have any beer."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Mother fucker," he grumbled under his breath. "Angela, Alicia or Curly must've taken the last of it to drink before school. Sorry."

"Yeah, and it was pretty good, too." Angela was standing behind Dallas. She was wearing a smirk, as always, and in her hand was her school bag. "Sorry, Dallas couldn't help myself. Better wait till ma or dad gets home to get some more. Oh, by the way, I'm going to Bryon's house. See ya later." Then, she turned on a heel and strutted away.

After Angela left, Dally went back into the living room to watch TV. A few minutes later, the water shut off and Tim came out with a towel around his waist. His dark hair was wet and hanging on his forehead and dripping onto his shoulders. He collapsed onto the sofa next to Dally. "Do I smell better now?"

Dally planted a kiss on Tim's soaking hair and inhaled. "Yeah," he murmured, and rested his head on Tim's shoulder. Tim rested his head on the back of the sofa, leaving a dark spot. Then he stood.

"I better get dressed. Ali and Curly'll be home soon." The dark- haired boy gently touched Dally's cheek.

Tim was right. Five minutes later, the screen door banged open, and Alicia and Curly barged in, yelling about how hungry they were and bitching abouthow much it sucked to be in the Thanksgiving play. Tim and Dally had been sitting together on the couch, watching whatever was on. Some Audrey Hepburn movie was playing, and Alicia jumped on the couch next to them

"I love _Breakfast at Tiffany's_. Let me watch," she demanded.

"No, Alicia, go away. It's a shitty movie." Tim shoved her hard off the couch and she fell to the floor. Alicia jumped to her feet and kicked Tim, hard, in the shin. He grabbed his leg. "_Ow_. Mother of fuck! What'd you do that for?"

"There. Now we're even." She said with a satisfied smirk.

"Jesus. Stop wearing those fucking boots."

As Alicia walked away, Dally turned to Tim. "Violent family, aren't you?"

Tim pulled up his jeans leg to see if he had a bruise and he scowled after his sister. "Yeah."

* * *

"Thank you for inviting us to this special feast, Anna Baker. It certainly means a lot to us that you asked us to share this holiday meal. As a gift, we brought this turkey!" Angela turned and gestured to Curly, who was dressed as a giant turkey. He walked out to the table.

"I am a turkey. Eat me!"

Rose raised an eyebrow, but went on with her line. "What a lovely gift! You redskins are so kind, even if we are more civilized," here Angela's eye twitched a little, "but I can see that under your dirty exterior, you are kind and normal humans."

"And, cut! That was marvelous girls- and Curly. You two work really well together." Miss Narwin beamed at them. "That's all for today. Fabulous job, ladies and gentlemen. Remember, next Wednesday is the performance, so practice at home!" She clapped her knotted hands together and walked away.

"You did really good, Angel," Alicia said. She had stayed to watch Angela's rehearsal because Dally was going over to their house again.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ali. I did shit and you know it."

Her sister laughed. "Yeah, I know." Angela punched her arm. Together, they walked to the girls' dressing room and Angela changed into her jeans and T-shirt. Then they waited for Curly. He staggered out a few minutes later and under his arm was his costume. He scowled and said, "let's go."

The moment that they walked in the door, they knew something was wrong. There was no yelling or screaming to greet them like normal. Instead it was deadly quiet. In Tim's hands was a letter and he was reading it with a horrified expression. His eyes were wide and scared and his face was pale. Behind him were their parents. Their mother looked frightened and their father looked proud. Dally was nowhere to be seen.

"Ti-Tim. What… what's wrong? What happened?" Angela asked, hesitantly.

Tim looked up. He took a deep breath. "I… I got drafted. I'm going to war."

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **_Meh__ wasn't very long, but it helped get the story going. I promise to update within the next few weeks. I'm trying to juggle school, track and soccer, but track gets over on May 3, so expect more updates after that. (Not that I won't update before then.)Also, I'm going to start on another fic soon called "Passing the Holidays,"and it's about how Tim and Dally share the holidays. If you want, y'all want to, youcan send inideas. Anwhore, please review! I love you all! (Runs through the wall, leaving a Liz-shaped hole behind.) _


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N:** _Eh, not too much to say about this one.__ To JustPlayin' (I love your name, BTW) I'm not exactly sure what year the draft started. Blame this chapter on the fact that I've over-watched "Moulin Rouge" and have listened to the song "Lounge Act" by Nirvana one too many times. (For all those who care, I bought a Kurt Cobain lunchbox at the Record Exchange today. It's quite hot.) And, for another note, the bit in the middle-part, the one in italics, that's Tim's flashback of when he dumps Dally. Just for the very slow among you._

**Disclaimer:** _I only own the plot, all the characters you don't recognize and my copy of "White Houses," by Vanessa Carlton. I will own her CD "Harmonium" very, very soon. Everything else belongs to their respective owners. _

* * *

"What?" Alicia blurted. Her dark eyes darted around and were welling up. "Why? When? No, Tim, please don't go!" Then, for the first time in ages, she broke down crying. 

Angela looked pissed. "Why?" She asked, in a deadly calm voice. "Why are you gonna go? I thought that you, out of all the people I know, wouldn't follow the rules."

Her father put an arm around Tim's scrawny shoulders. "I think it's an honor for you, Timothy. Maybe it'll change your outlook on life." He chuckled and slapped Tim's back. "I'm so proud of you."

Alicia's head snapped up. "Why? Tim didn't do nothin' to deserve this! He got drafted because he's eighteen. He didn't ask for this. Dad, they're sending him to _die_, and all you're thinkin' about is your fucking pride!" In two quick strides, their father walked up to her and cracked her across the face. Alicia staggered back and almost fell, but Curly grabbed her arms and helped her to her feet. Angela immediately started in on her father and their mother was yelling in Spanish at Alicia, while Curly shouted at both his parents. Tim took advantage of the situation and ran out.

* * *

The cool wind slapped his face and blew through his hair. He bit his lip as he looked at the crumpled letter in his hand. A soft voice said behind him, "hey, Tim." He whirled around and came face-to-face with Cassandra Ellison, one of his ex-girlfriends and now one of his best friends. Cassie and Tim went out in sixth grade and they broke up in seventh, but they remained friends. She came from a fairly decent East side family and she was one of the nicest people Tim knew. 

"Oh, hey Cassie. What's up?" He asked, distractedly.

She shrugged and smiled. "Nothing much. My sister got married to her boyfriend and my brother's girlfriend ran away with a Texan. Oh, and Dallas stopped by."

That caught Tim's attention. "What did he say?"

"He wanted to know where you were this afternoon. Said you'd talked about meeting up." She saw the letter in his hand. "What's that?"

"I got drafted," Tim said, softly.

Cassie's brown eyes widened. "Oh, God, Tim, I'm so sorry." She reached out and touched his arm. "What did your family say?"

"Dad's proud, mom's scared and Alicia, Angela and Curly are pissed. That's basically it. What else did Dally say?"

"He said for you to meet him at the Dingo at seven," she said. "Are you going to tell him then?" When Tim didn't answer, she whispered, her voice full of kindness, "it's okay, Tim. I know."

"What? How…- why…- who…-when-"

Cassie looked a little shocked after Tim's outburst and she cut him off. "Of course I knew," she spoke gently and softly. "Relax. I was at Buck's place last week and saw you two go upstairs. Tim, I went out with you. And even since we've broken up, I still love you and remember you as the somewhat awkward kid that asked me to dance in sixth grade. I know you better than a lot of people do, and I know what you're like and how you act. Trust me, I knew about you and Dallas before even you did."

Tim groaned. "How many people know?"

His friend guided him to a bench. "Don't worry. I think it's only me. Anyways, if anyone else finds out, don't give a shit what they think."

He smiled up at Cassie. She was headstrong and stubborn, but she was still one of the sweetest people around. Then he remembered Dally. "Oh, fuck, Cassie, what am I gonna do? Dallas'll-"

"Break up with him," she said, quietly. "Tim, it's the only thing you can do. If he finds out that you have to go, he'll follow you there. He'll go all the way to hell and back for you and you know that. If you tell him the truth, it means death for both of you." Running her hand through her short, brown hair, Cassie looked over at Tim. "It's all you can do, Tim. Hurt him to save him."

Tim bit his lower lip again. What could he do? What was he supposed to do, walk on up to Dally and say, 'we're done?' One of Tim's dark curls fell in his eyes, and one of Cassie's long, bony fingers brushed it away. He inhaled deeply and stood. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was the only way.

When Tim returned to the house, he found his siblings sprawled about the living room. Angela was on the couch, grudgingly nursing a black eye and Alicia was cross-legged on the floor, leaning against a pile of pillows with a purple bruise forming on her cheek. Curly was the worst off. He had bruises on his forearms, a black eye and a split lip. Their parents had obviously hit them in their anger."Where the fuck were you, Tim?" Angela started in on him. "Mom and Dad went out; they're pretty fucking pissed and when they get home, you're gonna be in so much fucking trouble- where're you going?"

"Upstairs." Tim wasn't in the mood for talking. He'd just dumped the only person in the world he'd ever really cared for. He was going to lie down for a while, listen to some shit on the radio, then go to the bar for a few drinks to drown the memory of Dally's anger, his hurt and his eyes…

_

* * *

__"Dal?"__ Tim walked up to Dally, head bowed and eyes cast downward. _

_"Hey, Tim."__ Dallas had immediately grabbed Tim by the arm. "C'mon, I've gotta show ya something! You know that kid, Zac? Well he-"_

_Tim wrenched his arm out of Dally's grasp. "Dal, I can't. I can't do this anymore; I'm done. I can't be with you anymore. I…I just …can't. Sorry. We- we can be friends… right? Er, yeah. Bye." _

_As he started to walk away, Dally's hand shot out and grabbed Tim's arm. "What the fuck, Tim? You think that you can just do that, don't you? You think you can just dump me, and I'll take it lying down, like some fucking pussy?" Dallas raged on, but Tim didn't listen. He was focused on Dally's eyes. The cold, blazing blue bore into him, ripped him apart and that was killing him. So, he lowered his eyes and let Dally cut into him like that. Finally, when the younger boy had enough, he turned and walked away, disgusted. And Tim ran. _

* * *

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Tim groaned and he put his arm over his eyes. He'd been laying on his floor, listening to the radio and replaying the scene in his head for an hour now. "I can't take it. I can't do this." He stood and walked to the door. As he passed his sisters in the living room, he called over his shoulder, "I'm going to the bar." 

Tim wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and he slammed down his drink. He'd been at the bar for two hours and had about eight beers. He was going to be seriously fucked in the morning, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Dally and him were broken up, he was going to war, his parents hated him and his siblings and he was going nowhere fast. He would have just committed suicide, but as far as Tim was concerned, only girls and pussies commit suicide. And, even if he had been in love with- and slept with- another guy, Tim refused to think of himself as a pussy.

Someone entering the bar caught his eye. It was Cassie. She was actually looking pretty cute, dressed in a tight white sweater and black skirt. Maybe he was attracted to her. Maybe the whole Dally thing was just a phase. She sat down next to him and smiled prettily. He wondered why he'd never really thought about her. Her feathery light brown hair fell to her chin and she looked sort of like that actress, Elizabeth Taylor. "Hey, Tim," she breathed as she sat down next to him.

"Hey, Cassie. What's goin' on?"

"Oh, nothing." She lowered her voice. "How'd it go with Dally?"

Tim felt a lump rise in his throat. The last time he'd cried was when he was seven and five sixteen-year-olds had jumped him. "Fine. He was, uh, mad, but it'll all blow over." He gave her a small smile. "Thanks for helping me, Cassie."

She gently brushed away his curls. "Don't mention it, Tim." Her face was close to his, and he was staring into her soft, dark eyes. His hand found hers and she almost smiled. She leaned forward and could smell alcohol and pine on him. Their lips met, softly brushing up against each other. Neither noticed the person who had just entered the bar.

Dally was pissed. Pissed as fuck. Tim, the only person in the world he'd given more than two shits about besides Johnny, had just broken up with him. And now there was only one thing for Dally to do: get drunk. Very drunk. He went to the bar where he and Tim had gone so many times. Upon entering, he saw bright lights, masses of people and _Tim_.

Tim Shepard was sitting on a barstool with some chick. And they were kissing. Only a few hours after dumping Dally, Tim was kissing a girl. _No fucking wonder.__ He wanted to go out with her._ He turned and stormed out, pushing some guy against the wall as he went.

**

* * *

A/N:**_ I know, it wasn't very long. (Cough)Four pages(cough) But I have, like, no free time now, but I'll try my hardest to update soon. I promise. I love you all, I really do. Track regionals are tomorrow. Mother of fuck._


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N:** _Okay, this chapter will be longer than the last one. Track is over, so I have WAY more free time to write. Also, this is the chapter y'all have been waiting for… the Thanksgiving play! If anyone can guess what movie I got the inspiration for this, you get a cookie of your choice and mentioned in the next chapter. And balloons. Can't forget the balloons. And, due to FF.N's new rule thingummy about song lyrics, in the event that this fic gets banned (because in chapter eight, I used a song by Franz Ferdinand), you can still view it at my Live Journal/website. _

**Disclaimer:** _I own Alicia, the plot and any of the characters you do not recognize. Everything else belongs to their respective owners. _

* * *

The following morning, Tim opened his eyes and immediately wished he were still asleep. The sun's blinding light burned down on him and he was still seriously hung-over. As he rolled onto his side, he felt something warm next to him. He turned and saw Cassie. Her hair was a halo of dark frizz, she was naked and she was still fast asleep.

_Oh, mother of fuck._ Tim tried to remember what the hell happened the previous day. All he could think of was that he got drunk… he went to a bar and drank… something about Dallas… "oh, _shit_." Tim's head fell back heavily on his pillow. He remembered everything. The draft notice, talking to Cassie, having to dump Dally, going to the bar, meeting Cassie again. He didn't remember much after that, just the fact that Cassie kissed him and they went to her house. Both of her parents were gone, and they went upstairs. "Shit, shit, _shit_. Oh, mother fucker. What the fuck have I done?" Poor Cassie, he thought. He just used her. He used her to forget about everything.

There was a stir next to him, and Cassie's brown eyes fluttered open. "Morning," she yawned. She pulled the bed sheet around her, not wanting to show off her chest, even though they had just slept together. Tim felt an unpleasant squirm in his stomach. She was so pretty and innocent, and he used her. "Tim, what's wrong?" Her eyes were gentle and kind. Even though he wasn't over Dally, no matter what he tried to tell himself, Tim was still in love with Cassie.

"Oh, nothing. I was just… thinking."

"About Dally," Cassie finished, and she smiled, tenderly. "Tim, you did the only thing you could do. Maybe you'll find someone in the military." She said, softly, then she stood with the sheet wrapped around her. "Come on. It's almost ten, and your sisters' play is starting in a half-hour. I said that we would go."

* * *

It was a bright, crisp November day, and the play was taking place outside. The "stage" was set up on the football field and the audience sat in the bleachers. The whole school was there, as well as the parents of the performing children. As Tim had expected, his parents weren't there, but Dallas was. The blond boy made a point not to look at either of them, so Cassie and Tim wedged themselves in between a woman and her screaming child, and a fat man smoking a cigarette. "Your sister said that Dally was dating some girl in the play. Her name's Allison Bouchard. She's a Pilgrim," Cassie whispered in his ear. "And Angela said that all the Pilgrims were Socs."

"Well, that's just Angel, you know how she exaggerates and all, but I really don't-"

"Shh, it's starting!" Cassie breathed, excitedly.

The blood- red curtain rose, showing the first scene: a boat deck with the Pilgrims on it. One of them, a pretty girl with long, blonde hair darted around, giving the seasick Pilgrims remedies. "Oh, thank you so very much, Anna Baker. You are the kindest person I've ever met!" Another one declared, loudly. Tim raised his eyebrows, while Cassie suppressed her giggles beside him.

A few minutes later, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, and Anna went off in search of wildflowers. While doing so, she met Deer Girl, the Indian princess. For a fleeting moment, Tim was proud of his younger sister. But the moment passed, even when Cassie squeezed his hand and murmured, "your sister's really good," because Tim didn't want to think about anyone; he was too busy feeling sorry for himself. He looked down, and noticed a hole in his shirt. As he was busily picking away at it, he missed Anna befriending the Indians, the Pilgrims preparing for the feast, the Indians catching a wild turkey and the "Feasting Song."

Then there came the feast scene. The stage was decorated to look like a Pilgrim village, with a huge table in the center where all the Pilgrims were seated. Next to the table was a flagpole, bearing the British flag. Cassie nudged him -hard- and hissed that it was Angela's time to shine. Tim's sister walked onstage. Her long hair was plaited, she was dressed in fake buckskin and behind her were several Indians. "Hello, I am Deer Girl, the Indian Princess," Angela turned and flashed the audience a fake grin. "These are my people. We have brought a gift for you, Anna Baker."

A turkey waddled onstage, and a few people laughed. Tim slumped down in his seat, brutally embarrassed, because he knew that Curly, his tough-as-nails little brother, was the Thanksgiving turkey. He heard Cassie giggling a little beside him, and he suddenly envied her, because she was relaxed and she didn't have to worry about if her boyfriend was ever going to talk to her again and wasn't about to be deported to China, or wherever the hell Vietnam was. _Just calm down. _He told himself. _Just calm the fuck down and watch the play._ He took a deep breath and made himself focus on the stage.

"What a _lovely_ gift! Why, you are as civilized as we… except we have books and schools and last names. Welcome to our table." Rose gestured to the bench and motioned for them to sit.

Angela gave her another fake smile. "Thank you, Anna Baker. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Your hair is like the sun, your skin is like fresh milk, and everyone loves you."

Rose seemed beside herself with glee. "Stop!" She cried, smiling. "Come, sit and feast with us."

The Indians started forward, when Angela held up her hand. "Wait," she said, and her voice became cold and hard. "We cannot eat with you." She took a deep breath. "You took the land that was once ours. Years from now, my people will be forced on the Trail of Tears, or live on reservations. You will drive nice cars and drink booze in clubs. My people will sell our foods and necklaces on the roadsides. You will have the nicest jobs and work in air-conditioned offices. We will suffer pain and degradation. You will play tennis and enjoy hot beverages. The Gods of my people have said, 'do not trust the Pilgrims… especially Anna Baker.'"

Rose's eyes shifted to the right side of the stage, where her teacher was seated. "Ms. Narwin… she's changing the words…"

At that moment, Alicia walked onstage. She had donned a pair of buckskin pants and a tight, cut-off buckskin shirt. Her hair was tied back and braided with feathers. War paint was smeared on her cheeks, and in her left hand was a tomahawk and in her right was a dagger. She looked like an Indian warrior princess, as she stood proudly and looked straight at Rose. "And for all these reasons, we have decided to scalp you, and burn your village to the ground."

The other Indians grabbed Rose and tied her to the flagpole, while one of them pulled down the flag. He handed it to Alicia, who pulled out her cigarette lighter and set it on fire before throwing it on the stage. Some of the teachers and parents just stood, shocked by the display, some looked mildly amused, while others jumped to fight the Indians, who, in turn, fought back. Some held the teachers and outraged parents at bay with knives, arrows and tomahawks. The others pulled out matches and lighters to light the Pilgrims' houses on fire, while some tied the remaining Pilgrims up.

Alicia grabbed a few wooden planks and hay from the houses and set them around Rose's feet. Then, she shoved a large wad of paper in Rose's mouth, because, as she explained later, 'fuck, the screaming was driving me up the wall!' Curly had taken off his costume and was busily setting fire to another one of the Pilgrim houses, and soon was joined by Alicia.

In a way, Tim was proud of his siblings. They had enough of being treated like shit for being poor, and now they did something about it. The whole ordeal was most likely Angela's idea. She was the brains, cunning and sly, and Alicia was the brawn, strong and iron-willed. Together they made a great team. And, for a moment, he forgot all about Dally and Vietnam. He was glad he came, as he sat and felt a strong sense of satisfaction that the Socs got what was coming to them.

In the midst of all the chaos and fire, Angela stood, watching with a smug smile on her face. Slowly, she turned and looked at Rose. Her eyes lit up and she walked forward. From her shoe, she pulled out a switchblade and made a sweeping gesture to Rose's head. Of course, they didn't scalp Rose. Angela cut the girl's long, golden hair close to her head, but she didn't really scalp her.

After that, Ms. Narwin never wanted to have her class re-enact the first Thanksgiving. For that matter, she was never going to let her class re-enact _anything_. She didn't do anything while Alicia and Angela completely destroyed the play. All she did was sit and watch in shock and fascination. Then she got up and went away, wanting someone to make her a very stiff drink.

* * *

When the fire died down, the three youngest Shepards disappeared. Soon, Tim and Cassie left. Cassie had tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks as they climbed into Tim's truck, and she continued to laugh, even as they drove down the street to her house. "That was pretty good, wasn't it, Tim? Aren't you glad you went?"

"Uh, yeah. Cassie, I just wanted to tell you… sorry."

Cassie cocked her head. "For what? You came with me."

"No… I mean… for last night, ya know? I used you. And I'm sorry."

Cassie laughed again. "Tim, you didn't use me. I did that to help you get over Dallas. It was, in reality, _my_ fault."

"What?"

She sighed. "Tim, I wanted to help you. So, I slept with you. You were a fucking wreck." They were in her driveway. "Bye," she said, and she kissed his cheek as she jumped out of the car and ran up her stairs.

Tim closed his eyes as she walked away, and inhaled deeply. "Enough," he said as he pulled away. "Enough now."

* * *

Angela was in the shower. She had been in for at least an hour, and the water was getting cold. Not caring, she poured a large amount of vanilla-scented shampoo on her hand as she washed her hair for the thousandth time. She had a date in an hour and a half, and she wanted to look her best.

Shutting the water off, she wrapped a towel around her, and another around her hair and she walked out of the bathroom. Waiting outside the door was Curly, and he looked about ready to piss his pants. She smirked at him and said, "all yours." She spent the next hour in her room, putting on her makeup and changing her outfit at least a dozen times. When she was finally ready, she looked stunning and she knew it.

When she walked down the stairs to wait for Bryon to pick her up, she saw Tim sitting on the couch, and she frowned slightly. He was being unusually quiet, and was actually sitting and watching _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ with Alicia instead of yelling at her to "turn that shit off!" He had been quiet and looked tired since ever since he got his notice. Curly had left somewhere, and Angela seriously hoped that she wouldn't run into him on her date. Curly really knew how to kill a moment.

She sat next to Alicia for a while, when she heard a car horn honk. "Gotta go!" She said, and sprinted out the door, leaving Alicia and Tim alone.

"Tim? You okay?" Alicia asked, timidly.

He snapped out of his reverie. "Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know. You just seem really quiet lately."

"So?" He barked at her. "Since when do you care how I am?"

"I care because I'm fucking _your sister_ and you've just been really weird lately. I care because I'm worried about you. You're not even bitching about me watching this movie. I know that you hate Audrey Hepburn." Then, with a softer edge to her voice, she asked again, "what's wrong?"

"I'm _not_ telling you; now leave me the fuck alone!" He shouted.

Alicia almost smiled, but restrained herself. "_Temper_, Timmy, temper. You really need to chill the hell out." Tim shot her a death-glare, but that seemed to provoke her. She sat closer. "Is it something about Dally? C'mon, you can tell me."

Then he hit her. Hard. Clutching her burning arm, she swung her fist and cracked him on the face. "Bastard!" She shouted. Tim only laughed. Infuriated, Alicia stalked out of the room, more determined than ever to find out what was wrong with Tim.

* * *

R

E

V

I

E

W


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N:** _On the bright side, I haven't been reported yet, which is always a good thing. Yay for being not reported! _

**Disclaimer:** _Nope, don't own nothing you recognize._

* * *

"I really do, and it's nice when you believe me, if you leave me…" Alicia wailed along with the Beatles song wafting out of her record player. It had been an hour and a half after _Breakfast at Tiffany's _had gotten over. Then she'd watched some of _Charade_ and half of _The Misfits_, that horrible movie with Marilyn Monroe. Now, she was sitting on the floor, reading a magazine and listening to the new Beatles record, while Tim sat in the chair next to her and tried not to scream at her. Alicia did _not_ have a very good singing voice. 

Sometimes he wondered why he was landed with sisters like her and Angela and a brother like Curly. Alicia was loud and overly-dramatic, with a horrible temper, Angela was selfish and catty and Curly was just stupid. Tim rubbed his temples, trying to think, but the pounding of the music felt like someone was slamming a sledgehammer against his skull. "Turn it the fuck _down_!" He shouted.

"Can't hear you, the music's too loud!" Alicia yelled back, and smirked. Tim scowled at her, and she grinned and turned the knob. He started toward the kitchen, before he turned and looked at her. "Look, I'm getting a beer. Want one?"

She leapt to her feet and followed him into the kitchen. "So, what's goin' on with you and Dallas? I never see him over here anymore," Alicia asked. She cracked it open, took a long drink, belched and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Nothing's going on with us. Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "Tim, I saw you guys, like, having sex on our living room floor." When he opened his mouth to protest, she cut him off, "and don't tell me you weren't enjoying it."

"Alicia, why do you care so much about it? Why aren't you like everyone else who'd pretty much shun me or beat me to a bloody pulp after that? Why the fuck do you care about me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Tim, unlike you, I'm pretty tolerant of different people. As long as they don't bug me or broadcast that they're 'different,' and they deserve 'special treatment' because of that, I don't go around and shout racial slurs at black people and I don't call gay people fags, 'cause you know what that is? That's fucking stupid. And I can't stand stupidity."

Tim studied his sister with a critical eye. To other people, she and Angela were more or less the same person, only with a different name. And they were pretty much right, because the two looked alike and acted the same. Except Alicia was more open with her feelings, while Angela was more closed off. Alicia was like fire, she had an inner energy and a blazing temper. Angela was ice: cold, calculating and bitter.

If it would have been Angela, she would have laughed and told him to get a new guy to fuck. That would have been fine with him, because Tim didn't like to tell people what he was feeling. But it was, unfortunately, Alicia, who liked everyone to lay their cards on the table. She loved hearing other people's problems, for some unfathomable reason, because she wasn't nice by nature.

She reached in her pocket and pulled out a pack of crumpled cigarettes. "Want one?" She asked, propping one up in between her teeth. Tim nodded, miserably. Alicia pulled another one out and lit it for him, carefully noting Tim's face. His dark skin was pale, except the bags that hung under his eyes. Lines creased his forehead, and his eyes lacked their normal spark. Poor kid had it bad, she thought. She reached out and touched his arm. "Hey, Tim, there's only one thing you can do. You've gotta talk to him."

"I can't…"

Alicia cocked a dark eyebrow. "And why not?"

He took a long drink of beer. "It'd kill him."

Now Alicia burst out laughing. "Tim, do you of know anything that's able to kill Dallas Winston? No. Tim, the guy's like, a fucking _immortal_. Nothing can kill him." She said this in a no-bullshit, matter-of-fact voice.

"Well, that doesn't matter anymore. I'm over him. Me and Dally never had a relationship."

"Well, you screwed each other multiple times. That must count for something. And you were kinda sweet to each other. Or a least the way you looked at each other was kinda sweet."

"So?"

"So, you must've had some kind of relationship. Two guys just shouldn't screw each other for no reason. That's like, being a slut with another guy. And that's just fucking wrong."

"We didn't have a relationship. Not a romantic one, at least."

Alicia rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she hated, it was when people went into denial. "Fine then. We'll have a test." She grabbed Tim by the hand and led him to the living room. "Sit down and close your eyes," she commanded, pointing to an armchair. Tim raised an eyebrow, but Alicia said, "don't worry, I won't do anything to you." When he, reluctantly, agreed, she pulled another chair closer to him.

"Now, imagine this… you and Dally are alone, together. You're both just fucking around, having some booze and cigarettes. Then he kisses you." Tim was imagining this, and he was getting a damn good vision in his head. He loved how Dally looked after they kissed, his pale cheeks flushed and blue eyes bright. Alicia's voice was soft and warm as she went on. "He tastes good, like beer and cigarettes, and he smells like pine and smoke. You keep on kissing, and then he pulls you closer. He's got a major hard-on, and that turns you on. His hands go down to your belt, and he takes it off. Now he's sticking his hand inside your pants and..."

Tim wasn't listening to her anymore. He was perfectly fine with imagining the last part, thanks. But it was getting rather difficult by the fact that he was getting aroused by this. Just to prove his point, Alicia crowed with delight. "I was _so_ fucking right, Tim!" His eyes snapped open. His sister was cackling and looking very triumphant. It was obvious was happened.

"Shut up," he muttered, trying, and failing, to cover his crotch.

She shrugged. "Hey, it ain't my fault that you like- or should I say love? - Dally. I just wanted to prove to you that it's true." She looked down and smirked. "And I see that I did a pretty damn good job, too." Sighing, she collapsed into the chair next to him. "And what's happening with Cassie? Are you, like, going out?" Then her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands. "Oh, my God! You're not bisexual, are you?"

Tim shrugged. "Hell if I know." He took another swig of beer. " Even if we were in a 'romantic relationship' it wouldn't last 'cause Dally's goin' out with some Soc."

Alicia snorted, and beer spewed out the corners of her thin mouth. "What?" She asked, and lapsed into giggles.

"Yeah, her name's Allison. She was in your play. Blonde, kinda tall…"

Alicia wrinkled her nose. "Ew, her? She's a whore," she said, matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"I swear to God. She's worse than Angela."

Tim rolled his eyes. "How do you know?"

"First, I saw her with some guy, Kenneth, at rehearsal. He was all grabbin' her ass and stuff and they started making out backstage. Then I saw her with another guy, Jeffrey, the next day. And _then_, like, an hour later, she was with some other guy."

"Doesn't mean she's a whore."

Alicia snorted, "I would think that, since this chick is going out with Dally, you'd be against her."

"Why would I? I don't even know her. Besides, I'm not in love with Dallas."

"Then why'd you get a hard-on?"

"I didn't!"

Alicia laughed. "Tim, stop denying it. You know that you totally love him."

"I don't," Tim mumbled.

"I saw you having sex on our floor, Tim! That means something!"

"Yeah, it means that you're a snooping bitch that likes to-"

"Tim, it was the living room floor. You do realize that the living room is a public room, and I suffered a hell of a lot of embarrassment seeing it. And someone else saw it. And if it were mom or dad that saw, your head would be mounted on the wall."

Tim rolled his eyes and took another puff on his cigarette. "Alicia, how 'bout you go away?"

She laughed and punched his arm. "You're just bitter because you're being deported soon." When she saw her brother's face fall, her laughter faded, and her eyes expanded into two, black discs, like they always did when she realized that she did something stupid or wrong. "It's okay, Tim," her normally loud, obnoxious voice softened, and she sat on the floor next to him. "I know you're pissed about it now, but it'll be okay. You'll write to us, won't you?"

He laughed. "No. I'll probably be glad that I'm gone, once I'm there." He eyed her. "I'll be glad I'm away from you and mom and dad and Angela."

"What about Curly?"

He blew smoke out of his mouth. "No, I like Curly."

"Just because he's a miniature you."

"Don't care. He's not obnoxious like you, or selfish like Angela."

Alicia stood up. "Tim, obviously you're mad about going to war or something, but you're pissed about Dallas, too. When you two were friends,-see, I said friends, not together or anything- you were actually happy. You actually got along with Angela and me. And now, since you're not hanging out with him anymore, you're back to being yourself."

"I thought you liked it when people were themselves."

"I do, but not you, Tim. 'Cause, no offense, but you're a bastard."

Tim laughed again. "And I'm not supposed to take offense to that? Fine, no offense, Alicia, but you're a bitch. And your boyfriend looks like a rat."

She shrugged. "_Your_ boyfriend looks like a weasel."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, he is. He's a guy, who happens to be your friend, and you happen to be sexually attracted to."

Tim jumped to his feet. "I am _not_ sexually attracted to Dally!" He shouted, so loud Alicia was sure that the neighbors were going to call the cops on them-again-for "disturbing the peace."

Alicia laughed, delighted. "Denial can be fun," then she stopped her laughter and her face became serious. "But, honestly, just tell me how you feel. I can help. See, I know this stuff, because Angel and Curly and me have been to the school counselor, like, twenty times. So I know all this 'I-can-help-you-type shit."

He cocked an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Sorry, but, no. I don't have any feelings other than hatred right now for Dallas, yes, Cassie and me are dating, and I would like it if you'd fuck off."

She rolled her eyes, sensing defeat. She'd come _thisclose_ to getting Tim's secret out, and failed. "Fine, I'll go upstairs to my room and hide so that you can do whatever you want."

"Good. Now leave me the fuck alone."

"Well, if you need to talk to someone-"

"Which I won't-"

"I'm just saying-"

"Maybe you could just be quiet for once."

"Fine. I'll be up in my room."

Tim grunted in response.

* * *

The moment Alicia was out of the room, Tim picked up the phone and began to dial a number. He got past the first three numbers, then stopped and put the phone back down. No, he couldn't call Dally. First, he was most likely way too pissed to talk, and would resort to extreme swearing and yelling through Tim's explanation, and second, he probably wasn't home. Actually, the latter was just an excuse not to call, because Dally most likely was home, considering, if Tim knew Dally the way he thought he did, when Dally was pissed, he cut himself off from everyone. So he was probably at home, drowning his sorrow in booze. 

Unconsciously, he picked up the phone again, and began to dial Dally's home phone again. It rang twice before Tim realized what he was doing. He slammed the phone down and let his fall back onto the couch. Closing his eyes, he tried to envision war, but it didn't really work. There was an old guy that frequented the Dingo, who fought in World War II, and said that "war was the scariest damn thing in the world." Tim tried to remember what he thought the scariest thing in the world was, but he could only think of the time Angela came face-to-face with a rattler when she was five. He'd never heard anyone scream so loud.

He heard a car pull up, and then he heard Curly's voice and some girl. There was a bang, as Curly slammed the door open and it hit the wall. Curly tromped in, looking drunk, with some pretty blond on his arm. "Hey," he slurred and gave a crooked grin. "We're goin' upstairs, 'kay?" He gave Tim an exaggerated wink and they walked, or rather, tripped, upstairs.

Tim stood. The last thing he wanted was to be in the house with Curly and Curly's new girlfriend. Alicia could fend for herself. He strode to the door and pulled it open, loving the feel of the cool night air as it washed over him.

* * *

Buck's house looked like it was glowing in the darkness. Dark silhouettes wandered around it, yelling, cursing and throwing bottles. Tim parked his truck and walked in, greeted by garish lights and sweaty bodies. He grabbed a beer before getting to the wall where there was an empty chair. 

"Tim!" He looked up.

"Oh, hey, Mitch," Tim said, barely looking up. Then he looked again.

Mitch Hawk was a friend of Tim's. He tall and skinny and had shaggy blond hair that covered his eyes and some of his handsome, strong featured face. Tim often heard Alicia talking about how "cute" he was, but now that she had a boyfriend, Mitch wasn't talked about as much. And, as much as Tim hated to admit it, even to himself, he understood why Alicia had been attracted to him. Mitch pulled up a chair and fell into it. "What's up?"

Tim took another drink of his beer before answering. _God, Mitch is good-looking_. He thought, before mentally smacking himself. "Nothing much. You?"

"Eh, not much. Eliza broke up with me, 'cause-" Mitch cut himself off.

"'Cause of what?" Tim asked. Alicia was rubbing off on him. He used to be fine with just letting people have their own business, but now he wanted to know. Or maybe he was just drunk.

"Nothing. She didn't like the way I dressed. And she told me to quit smoking."

Tim laughed drunkenly. "Bullshit. No chick breaks up with a guy 'cause of that." Absentmindedly, Tim let his hand drift to Mitch's thigh, and he rested it there for a moment. Oh, yeah, he was seriously drunk. Mitch didn't seem to mind. Quite the opposite, actually. He took it as an invitation to kiss Tim. Full on the mouth. In a room full of people.

Luckily, no one saw. And even if they would have, neither of them would have cared. They were both too busy enjoying it. Tim pulled away first. "Come with me," he whispered. Mitch gave him a crooked grin and followed. Tim led him upstairs, to the very room where he and Dally had been, not a long time ago. Tim didn't know why he picked this room, he just did. But he didn't mind.

Mitch pushed him against the wall, and kissed him soundly. Tim liked the feeling of the other boy's full, warm lips against his own thin ones, almost as much as he liked Dally's. He opened his mouth a little, allowing Mitch more access, feeling a little guilty. He didn't really know why; after all, it wasn't like he and Dallas were together anymore. But something wasn't quite right. He tried to relax and just live in the moment. And the moment was nice.

Tim hadn't expected Mitch to be so fierce. When they were in grade school, Mitch was a soft-spoken kid, but still good in a fight. Now he was kissing Tim in a bruising way. Not that Tim cared. He actually liked it. As wrapped his arms around Mitch and pulled him closer, he tried to picture it was Dally he was kissing. It worked.

Afterwards, they rested next to each other, stark naked, smoking and watching the way the smoke curled in the air and vanished. Tim turned his head and looked at Mitch. He had a very nice profile, just not as nice as Dally's. Tim was starting to think that no one would be able to compete with Dally. "So, why did Eliza dump you?" Tim asked, lazily.

Mitch grinned and said, "I told her I was gay," and they both laughed.

In a way, Tim did like Mitch in _that way_, but not like he did Dally. And Mitch was good in bed, but not as good as Dally. Mitch was very good-looking, but not as good as Dally. Mitch didn't fill him with the same kind of electric feeling Dally did. No one was as good as Dally. And Tim knew it.

* * *

When he staggered inside his house at three the next morning, he was so confused. Did he do the right thing? Did he like Mitch? Was Cassie right? With his head filled with questions, he collapsed on his bed and fell into a deep, restless sleep. **

* * *

A/N:** _Ooh, the plot thickens! Sorry, y'all that that was SUCH a sucky chapter! I _promise_ the next one will be better! Adios! _

_Next chapter teaser: Dally finds out about Tim and Mitch and Tim and Cassie! _

* * *


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Disclaimer:** _S.E. Hinton owns everything you recognize. I only own the plot, Alicia and all my other Original Characters._

**Response to the lovely reviewer, irene:** _Yes, I'm well aware that Tim isn't a cigarette, but thanks anyways. :) _

* * *

Tim awoke to the smell of something burning. It was ten to one, Angela attempting to cook breakfast. Alicia didn't know how to use a stove, and Curly would most likely burn the house down. Last year, Angela had taken Home Economics as her elective, and liked to broadcast it by making food. She wasn't very good.

He walked downstairs, now smelling not only burning food, but smoke. That was not a good sign. But the combined stench of burning food and the fact that he had one hell of a hangover made him nauseous. Tim ran to the bathroom. He bent over the toilet as his stomach heaved and he threw up. Wiping the vomit off his mouth with the back of his hand, he stormed into the kitchen to find out exactly what Angela had managed to fuck up this time.

"Ah!" Angela shrieked as giant flames leaped out at her from the oven. Uselessly, she fanned at the flames, but that made them grow. "Oh, shit!" She screamed. She felt a hand roughly grab her by the shoulder and push her away. Tim had grabbed a bowl full of water and tossed it on the fire. There was a splash and sizzling sound, then it was silent.

Tim whirled around and faced Angela. "What the _hell_ were trying do?" He demanded. His voice was hoarse.

"I was trying to make breakfast," she said, pointing at the now-soaked- were they pancakes? waffles?- in the oven. "I felt like something other than cereal or toast. And then it just… caught fire."

Tim looked at the carnage that was, just a few minutes ago, an oven. "Well, you fucked up big time. Wonder what mom and dad'll say."

"What'll mom and dad say to what?" Their mother stood in the doorway. Then she caught sight of the oven and screamed. "Good _Lord_, Angela! What in hell's name did you do?" She staggered over to the oven, coughing on the smoke that still lingered in the air, and dropped to her knees and peered inside. "What were you trying to make?"

Angela began to chew on her thumbnail. "Pancakes," she answered in a small voice.

There was a loud _crash_ and Curly and Alicia ran into the room. Actually, Curly tripped and fell into the room, the source of the crash. Alicia prodded him with the toe of her shoe, then inhaled. "Was something burning?"

"Yeah, Angela tried to make herself breakfast," Tim said.

Angela glared at him. "I _know_ how to do this stuff!" she shrieked. "I took a class on it for _two fucking semesters_!"

Alicia patted Angela on the shoulder. "Angel, don't freak out about it. Just because you took a class doesn't make you a world class chef. Take Curly, for instance," she nodded at her brother. "He's taken math for almost seven years. Doesn't even know long division."

Curly shrugged. "Not like it's ever gonna be any use in the real world."

Their mother pursed her lips. She always did that when she was upset. "Curly, it _will_ come up when you grow up. And you're gonna have to be prepared."

"Aw, ma, it ain't like I'm ever gonna get a job. I'll probably just join the military or something."

His mother rolled her eyes. "Back on the subject of the oven…" she stopped and looked at Angela.

"Can we fix it?" she asked, looking a bit worried. She would be in deep shit if she broke the oven.

Mrs. Shepard sighed. "I don't know, Angela. She looked at the kitchen clock. "Damnit! I'm already late." She kissed Angela and Alicia, hugged Curly and Tim, and dashed out the door.

A few minutes later, after a quick breakfast of corn flakes and orange juice, Alicia and Angela left for school. Tim forgot it was Wednesday. Curly, however, planted his ass at the kitchen table and picked up the paper. "Aren't you going to school?" Tim asked.

"Nope. Don't feel like it."

"Why not?"

Curly eyed Tim. No matter how slow he tended to be, even he couldn't miss how Tim had changed. His brother, once his idol, his hero, now spoke in a quiet, almost monotonous, voice, kept his eyes downcast, and stayed home all the time. He was getting skinnier by the day, and looked almost emaciated. Curly had seen Tim go through this change once before.

For Curly's fourteenth birthday, Tim had taken him to a bar. It was Curly, Tim, Dallas Winston and a few other guys from the Shepard gang. Curly didn't know it was going to be a strip bar, but he went along with it anyway. They were almost in, when the bouncer needed to see identification that they were legal. Tim got in a fight with the guy, and they got arrested. When they were jail, only for three weeks, Tim, already underweight, had shrunken until he was almost as skinny as Angela was when she was sick for two weeks and couldn't eat anything.

The younger boy didn't know why Tim shrunk the way did. The truth was, Tim didn't eat when he was afraid. And Tim was afraid of going to jail. Actually, in that instance, it had been his fear of _Curly_ going to prison, not him. As much as Tim hated to admit it, he loved his siblings, especially Curly, and felt, at times it was job to take care of them. And it had been his fault that Curly was there in the first place.

Curly didn't know exactly what was going on with Tim. Unlike Alicia and Angela, he left Tim to his own personal problems. Let him deal with them on his own, was Curly's idea. He didn't care if Tim was gay or not, didn't matter in the least to him. As long as Tim didn't flaunt it and ruin Curly's hard-earned reputation, he was fine. However, even he noticed the absence of a certain person whose initials were D. W.

"Curly? Curly?" Tim's voice, soft and hoarse, interrupted Curly's thoughts.

He blinked and shook his head. "What?"

"I asked why you weren't going to school."

Curly shrugged. "Don't wanna."

Tim lifted an arm and ran his fingers through his hair. Curly was surprised at how skeletal his brother's arm was. "Tim… are-are you all right?" He asked, timidly. Curly knew exactly how Tim could react when he was pissed.

Surprisingly, his brother didn't seem to mind. "I'm fine, why?"

Curly chose his words carefully. "I don't know, you just seem… different. You're all quiet and shit."

Tim shrugged. "Just been tired and worried lately." He almost smiled. "I'm fine."

"Okay, I was just wondering, that's all," Curly mumbled. Then he decided to change the subject. "Wanna do something today?"

His brother shook his head. "No, Cassie and me have plans." He said, in that same, soft voice that was so different from his usual loud, sarcastic voice he used up to a few weeks ago, and left.

* * *

The lunch bell rang, and two hundred students fought to get to the lunch room. While Angela was waiting in line to get a sandwich, she noticed some bitchy girls harassing someone. Upon closer inspection, Angela saw it was Summer Anderson, a girl she had a few classes with.

Summer's name was sort of ironic. Whenever Angela pictured someone named Summer, she saw a preppy blonde girl with a tan, nice build and blue eyes. Summer Anderson was just the opposite. She was very short and scrawny and she had white skin, not just pale, but _white_, black, stick- straight hair and black eyes. Her usual choice of clothing was baggy, black shirts and baggy, black pants. She had no friends and usually kept to herself. She ate alone and normally read during lunch. Her books were morbid, generally by Edgar Allen Poe or some nutjob like that, and she devoured them. So Angela didn't understand why people bullied Summer: she kept to herself and was very quiet.

Angela nudged Alicia. "Look," she whispered and pointed to the girls and Summer.

"What?"

"It's that Courtney girl and her little posse."

"So?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "They're at it again." She was referring to Courtney's group's habit of bullying people. They would pick on one person, for about a month or so, then move on.

Courtney was friends with Rose. They were the "popular" girls: bitchy, annoying and blonde. Courtney was the ringleader of their little gang, and Rose was the second-in-command. Alicia and Angela made it a point to make their lives a living hell, and they were normally successful in it.

"Angel, why do you care? I mean, it's not like you're friends with Summer."

"Were you friends with Travis when you saved him from the Socs?"

"No, but-"

"Same thing here, now come on." Angela was the same as Alicia in the respect that neither could stand out-numbering people.

"So, Summer, has your dad killed anyone else yet?" One of the girls, Britney, Angela thought her name was, asked, in an annoying, taunting voice. Summer's father was arrested for murder once, a few years back, but people still teased her about it. It made Angela's blood boil.

Summer showed far more self-restraint than Angela would have believed possible in the situation. If it were Angela in her place, she would already be in prison for homicide. Summer was silent, continuing to read. "C'mon, answer me!" Britney whined. Britney was one of those horrible girls who pissed and moaned about their lives: how awful it was because Daddy wouldn't let her borrow the car, Mommy wouldn't give her money to buy a new dress, etc. Angela hated her.

"Hey, Britney, why don't you go stick yourself in axle grease and shove yourself back where you came from?" Angela called. Britney whirled around.

"Fuck off, Shepard, unless you want some," she sneered.

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, Brit, but you're interrupting our lunch date with Summer." She shoved aside one of the girls and sat down next to Summer, who looked a little more than surprised at the fact that the infamous Shepard sisters were sitting next to her.

Angela sat in the chair on the opposite side of Summer. Then she glared at Courtney, Britney and their little group. "So, how 'bout you leave us the fuck alone, all right?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "So, go on. Go away."

Courtney stared, he mouth gaping open. Then she sneered. "Fine." And they stalked off.

When they were gone, Alicia turned to Summer and grinned. Summer stared. "So, whatcha reading?" Alicia asked, still smiling. Summer showed her the book cover without saying anything. It was _The Catcher in the Rye_. "Ah, is it good?"

Summer shrugged. "It's okay." She had a whispery, hoarse voice. Her big, black eyes took up almost half her face. It was kind of scary, in a way. They were silent for a moment. "Thanks." Summer said, in that soft voice. "For helping me, I mean."

Angela laughed. "No problem, man. See, we, me an' Ali, we just don't like outnumbering. Makes us sick."

Alicia nodded, "and we don't like them. Bad experiences."

"Like what?"

Alicia leaned forward. "The one, Courtney, she went out with our brother, Curly. Biggest. Bitch. Ever."

"Yeah. She was loud as fuck in the bedroom with him." Angela made her voice high-pitched and whiny. "Curly! Ah, ah, don't stop!"

Summer grinned. When she smiled, her mouth looked too big for her and sort of split her face in half. And then her eyes, already almost abnormally large, expanded. God, it was scary, but at the same time, kind of cool. Summer was pretty, in her own way. "How old's Curly?" she asked.

"He's fifteen now. Goes to this school," Angela said.

"Oh. Do you like him?"

Alicia thought for a moment. "Yeah, he's all right. Actually, it's more me and Curly that get along, and Angel and Tim."

"Tim?" Summer asked.

"Other brother. Eighteen. Used to have a boyfr-" Angela covered her mouth. "Oh, shit, just ignore that one."

Alicia nudged her sister. "No, Angel. Can't keep secrets from Summer. She's our friend now, remember?"

Summer looked up. "We're… friends?" She asked, uncertainly. Alicia felt a pang of compassion for Summer. She didn't think the girl ever had any friends.

Alicia nodded, brightly. "Yep. And so we ain't gonna keep secrets from each other. Me and Angel don't."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Alicia, we're sisters. It's impossible to keep secrets from each other."

"So, what happened with your brother?" Summer asked.

Alicia leaned forward. "You know Dallas Winston?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "They were together. Like, a couple."

Summer raised her eyebrows. "So, Tim was gay? With Dallas Winston?"

"Yeah, and _damn_, they were like wild animals!" Alicia laughed.

Angela pushed her shoulder. "Not so _loud_, Alicia! Do you want the whole fucking world to know?"

Her sister snorted. "Why do you care?"

"Because it'd be pretty fucking _embarrassing_ to be known as 'Tim's, whose a fag's, little sister,' don't you think?"

Summer piped up. "So, what do you two think about Tim and his whole… thing with Dallas?"

Alicia shrugged. "I don't care. Honestly, if it makes Tim…, well, _happy_ I guess, then what's the big deal with it? As long as he keeps it to himself, I don't care."

"Same," Angela said. "Long as he's happy, and keeps it in his pants, I don't care."

The bell rang, and Alicia scowled. "Lunch is too short," she said.

Summer nodded. "What've you got next?"

Alicia sighed. "_Math_. Fucking math. You?"

"History," Summer said.

"Hey Angela." A tall, dark kid with shaggy hair put an arm around Angela's waist and pulled her out of the crowd. It was Bryon, Angela's current boyfriend.

"Who was that?" Summer asked Alicia.

Alicia linked her arm through Summer's. "Angel's boyfriend," she answered, and she shoved their way through the crowd.

* * *

Tim shoved his hands in his pockets. He'd just gone to Mitch's house, had a few joints and a bang in the sack, and now was going back home. Curly would most likely be home, and, if the clock in Mitch's house was right, so would Alicia and Angela. He passed a gas station, walked inside and bought some cigarettes. The clock on the wall read 3:24. Yes, Alicia and Angela would be home.

He paid for the cigarettes and left. The moment he stepped on the street, he lit one and took a long drag. For a fleeting moment, he wished he were Curly. Curly didn't have to go to war. Curly didn't have to worry if his ex would ever speak to him. All Curly had to do was not get arrested again. And even he was incapable of doing that.

To make matters worse, Tim's parents were home, too. He opened the door, and narrowly avoided being hit with a flying lamp. His father was swearing and throwing things at his mother, who was yelling at the top of her lungs at him. Curly and his sisters were nowhere.

Tim ran upstairs, trying to get away from the small, glass objects being hurled around. It was a wonder stuff still worked in his house. He ran past Curly's room, which was silent. Curly must have been over at someone's house. Then Alicia and Angela's room. Music, the Beatles, wafted out, as well as Alicia's cackling laughter. God, he needed to get away from everything.

Slamming and locking the door behind him, Tim sank onto his bed. God, he hated everything right now. And he wished he could actually tell someone. Not Alicia; she was too loud and would end up telling someone. Angela would just tell him that life wasn't fair and shit happened. And Curly… Curly wouldn't understand. He stood up. There was only one place to go when everything sucked. Buck's.

* * *

Tim almost ran up the driveway. There was already a party going. There always was. He flung open the door and went inside. As always, there was Hank Williams blaring out the speakers, but Tim couldn't sum up the energy to get disgusted at Buck's god-awful choice of music. Instead, he went up to the first pretty blonde he could find and offered to get her a drink.

As they walked to get the drinks- a beer for him and a Scotch for her- Tim saw Dally. He was necking with a girl with wavy red hair. Jealousy flared up, but Tim didn't do anything, for once. He was too tired or confused, or both. It was always Curly that was all mouth and no action, and Tim who backed up everything he said. Instead, Tim pulled the girl, whose name was Jennifer, away from Dally and led her in the opposite direction.

Dally saw Tim and some broad together, and had a smug feeling of satisfaction when he saw Tim pull the girl away. Dally knew Tim saw him, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat depressed. _God damn you, Tim Shepard_, he thought as he pulled a hand through his girl's hair. He didn't even know the chick's name.

Then Dally noticed someone walk through the door. He pushed the girl off him, and ran up to the person. It was Alicia, and Dally knew that, when she was smashed, she could tell anything. And Dally was determined to know what was going on with Tim.

"Hey, Alicia," Dally said, in a voice he hoped was suave and cunning. It really turned out more desperate.

"Oh, hey, Dallas," she said, distractedly. "Look, I'm lookin' for someone, so, can you-"

"They aren't here," Dally said.

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "You don't even know who I'm looking for." She said, shortly.

Dally took her hand. He knew that Tim was in the same room, and Tim could get pretty fucking defensive and over-protective of his siblings, but Dallas didn't care. "Come on, Ali, just let me buy you a drink."

She wrenched her hand out of his grasp. Dally wanted to hit her, but he'd learned, through trial and error, that all bitchy chicks need to cool down is a good, stiff drink. Besides, he knew that if he dared lay a hand on either Alicia or Angela, Tim and Curly would be on his ass. And, for a fleeting moment, he saw Alicia as Tim. They had the same, long, thin face, long nose, flashing dark eyes and curly hair.

Dally reached out and gently touched one of her black curls. She hardly moved, only narrowed her eyes. He half-smiled, then ran his fingers over the length of the curl. She reached up and swatted his hand away. "_Don't_ touch my hair unless you buy me a drink," she snapped. Inwardly, Dally smirked. He knew that Alicia couldn't pass up free booze.

After they both had had four beers, all eight were out of Dally's wallet, she started to talk. Her speech was slurred, but Dally was used to people talking like that. "So, anyway, there's this chick, Cassie, and Tim, like, is in _love_ with her or somethin'." Dally raised an eyebrow.

"Who is she?"

"She's the one he went to the play with. Ya know, short hair, kinda skinny…?"

Dally thought for a moment. Yes, he remembered Cassie. She was actually quite good-looking. "Yeah, I remember her."

"Tim wen' out with her for a while. Then they broke up, an' I guess they're back together now." She stopped for a moment, then looked as though she remembered something. "Oh, yeah an' then there's _Mitch_."

"Mitch?"

"Yeah, Tim's new frien'. They're like, goin' out, or together or somethin'. Like you two were. I heard one of their phone conversations. Tim said somethin' like he wanted Mitch's body or somethin', an' then he laughed an' said somethin' like Mitch was gonna meet him naked, I dunno." She laughed, drunkenly, and brushed her hair out of her face.

Even though he was blazing with anger and jealousy, Dally couldn't help but notice how much Alicia looked like Tim. Especially from the side. Her eyelids were drooping in the same way Tim's did after sex, and her lips curved up at the corners exactly like his. But at the same time, she had her own charm. Not like Angela, who was flat-out gorgeous, but Alicia had more of a down-to-earth attraction. _God, she's cute,_ Dally thought. But he knew not to get involved with the Shepards. Every time he did, it ended horribly.

"Is that it?" He asked, eager to distract himself from his growing attraction to her. Actually, it wasn't an attraction, it was more lust. She looked like Tim, she was drunk, and he was horny and drunk. It wasn't a very good combination, and it was only going to lead to disaster.

With his mind hazy with liquor, Dally grabbed Alicia by the back of the head and pressed their lips together. He tasted like alcohol and cigarettes. When they pulled away, she slapped him. Even if she was shit-faced drunk, she knew more or less what was going on, and she didn't like it. "What the _fuck _are you doing?" she shrieked. She grabbed the half-full beer bottle, and began to walk away.

"Wait, Tim!" He shouted.

Alicia stopped dead. Then she turned around, slowly. "Tim?" she whispered to herself. _He thinks I'm Tim._ It registered. _That's why he kissed me. He thinks I'm Tim, and he still loves Tim. Holy shit_. She shook her alcohol-fazed head. _Then why aren't he and Tim still together?_ She shook her head again and laughed. She staggered away and decided to talk about it with Angela in the morning.

* * *

Tim pretended not to notice Dally and Alicia -of all people- take hands and walk away. He pretended not to see them talking so close that they were almost kissing. And he pretended not to watch as Dally smashed his lips against hers. He felt a sort of pride and satisfaction as Alicia slapped Dallas and walked away. Alicia never let people get fresh with her.

Something bit his neck, hard, and he jumped. "Ow, mother of fuck!" He'd forgotten about Jennifer. She looked up at him, and smiled.

"Wanna go somewhere else?" She asked.

Tim stood, shakily. "No, actually, Jen, I'm kind of tired. I think… I think I'm gonna go home." If he hurried, he could catch up with Alicia and ask her what happened.

"Aw, but _Tim_," Jennifer whined.

"No," he said, firmly, and he ran after Alicia.

He didn't find her, though. Instead, he went home alone. There was no one in the house: Curly was out with his friends, Angela was on a date, Alicia was somewhere and his parents were at a bar.

Tim fell down on the couch. He buried his head in his hands for a few moments, then stood and nearly ran into his room. There he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He knew it was seriously lame to write letters, even if he didn't send them, but it was the only way he could let out his emotions.

_

* * *

__Dallas- _

_I know, you're probably still pretty fucking pissed at me. And, in all honesty, I don't really blame you. I was a bastard, and I deserved everything I got. And I shouldn't be asking this, but I would love it if you took me back. I'd fucking love it._

_It's going to be scary as fuck in Vietnam. If there was anything I could do so I didn't have to go, I'd do it. I'd do it in a fucking heartbeat. Everything's just so fucked up right now. _

_I'll miss you like a bastard. I really will. I'll miss you more than I'll miss my family. Right now, I actually want to go to Vietnam, just so I can get away from everything. I want to get away from my gang, from Angela and Alicia and Curly and Mom and Dad. I just need to get away from everything. I hate everything. Except you, because I don't think I could ever hate you. _

_I could never hate you because I love you. I never told you; fuck, I probably never will, but it's true. –_

_Tim _

* * *


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N:** _I am so terribly sorry it took so long to update! I forgot to (I'm a little scatterbrained that way) then I had to go camping. :I hate camping: So, here it is. With 90 more of Travis/Alicia! Please review. :Note, at the end, there are reviewer comment-y-things.: _

_

* * *

__Slam_. Tim awoke with a start when he heard the door close with a bang. Alicia was home. He heard her clomp up in the stairs in those ridiculous boots that she insisted on wearing. She went into the bathroom, and he listened as she took a shower. Twenty minutes later, the water stopped and she padded back into her bedroom in bare feet. Tim waited for a half-hour before he rose and walked to her room. He paused and knocked on her door. 

"What?" She called. Tim noted the annoyance in her voice.

"Let me in," he shouted back.

He heard her sigh. There was a click as the door unlocked and she pulled it open. "Come on in," she mumbled.

She walked over to her bed, and sat down. Tim shifted uncomfortably. "Er, where am I supposed to sit? Or should I stand?"

"You can sit on Angela's bed," she answered. He sat down, and she eyed him. "So, whaddya want?" She asked.

Tim took a deep breath. "What the _fuck_ were you doing with Dallas tonight?" he asked.

Alicia went red and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, _Jesus_, you saw that didn't you?" she asked.

Tim rolled his eyes. "No shit I fucking saw! What the fuck were you doing?" He was clearly more than a little pissed.

"Tim! Stop yelling and I tell you!" Alicia shrieked back. Tim silenced, but his eyes still narrowed at her. Then she took a deep breath and started to talk. Her words came out jumbled, but at least he could understand them. "Okay, so Travis told me to meet him a Buck's tonight. So I went there, and I was early. Then Dallas comes up to me and says that he wants to buy me a drink. And I let him and we got drunk and then he kissed me. I don't know why, it just sorta _happened_, ya know? No, I guess you wouldn't know… anyway, when I walked away, he yelled after me? And you know what he yelled? He just shouted, 'Tim!' at my back! Isn't that funny? He thought I was you." Then she started laughing. Her laugh was borderline terrifying, because it was more a cackle than a laugh.

Her brother raised his eyebrows. Why in hell did Dally think that he and Alicia were the same? Actually, Tim did think that he and Alicia looked quite a lot alike. It was sort of funny, in a way. Alicia looked more like him, and Angela looked more like Curly. Alicia and Tim had long, narrow faces and long noses with thin lips, while Alicia and Curly's faces were more heart-shaped. But to think that he and Alicia were the same was un-fucking-believable. "Why did he think you were me?"

She shrugged. "Maybe he was so drunk that he thought he was kissing…" She trailed off, and by the look on her face, it was like a revelation dawned. "Oh my God, Tim! He still loves you! He thought he was kissing you when he was kissing me, and then I started to leave; only he thought _you_ were leaving, 'cause he thought that I was you. And that's why he yelled _your_ name at my back! And you can go talk to him right now and tell him that you love him too!" Alicia's eyes were bright with excitement, and she waved her hands around. As her hands fluttered around her face, Tim saw a ring on her left ring finger. Glad for a distraction, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled it close to his face.

"Who gave you this?" He demanded, eyeing the ring. It was just a simple, silver ring, but it was actually quite nice.

Alicia wrenched her hand from his grasp and held her arm out straight. "Pretty, isn't it? Travis gave it to me tonight." She sighed and her eyes softened. "I seriously think I'm, like, in love with him, or something."

Tim snorted. "Love is fucking stupid and it always ends bad."

She sat down next to him and sighed sympathetically. "Tim, I know you're depressed and all, but can't you just make the next few weeks be _fun_ with the person that you love before you have to go?"

Tim buried his face in his hands and said, in a muffled voice, "I can't."

"Why not?"

He lifted his head. "Because, if I go, he'll go with me, no matter what I do. He'll go and maybe get killed, and I won't let that happen." Right now, Tim didn't care is Alicia knew about him and Dally. Hell, even Angela could know, too. He knew that neither would tell anyone, because that would be embarrassing, and both of them hated being embarrassed.

She started stroking his hair. "What if you didn't have to go to Vietnam?"

"What?"

Alicia sat up straight. "What if you didn't have to go to war? See, Travis's cousin, Elliot, he lives in Texas, he's nineteen and he got drafted a while back. But they looked at his prison record, he's been arrested almost as much as you have, and they figured that he wouldn't be good or something. So it's only a matter of time before they see yours and revoke your notice." She said this matter-of-factly.

Tim raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Alicia, that shit doesn't happen to people like you and me." Then he laughed, bitterly. "There ain't no fairytale endings for us."

* * *

Alicia didn't care if she got a fairytale ending or not. In all honesty, she knew that she wouldn't, and she didn't want one. The next day, she and Travis went to the movies. It was a drive-in, but since neither had a car, they sat in the seats. It was bitter cold outside, and Alicia was only wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Travis took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. It was a boring movie, but she didn't care, because she was near him.

And when the movie was over, they walked along Sutton, holding hands and talking about everything. She, of course, didn't mention Tim, except that he got drafted, and Travis told her that he was sorry. When they got to her house, he kissed her, softly on the lips, and she thought she would die of happiness.

Floating up to her room in a state of bliss, she forgot all about Tim and his crisis. Instead, she lay down on her bed and fell into a deep sleep. She didn't sleep for long, though, because a few moments later, Curly came barging in her and Angela's room, without knocking, as always.

"Hey, Ali, you got any condoms?" he asked without any preamble.

She sat up, mildly annoyed. "No. Why would I have condoms?" she said, flatly.

Curly ignored the second part. "Fuck. I need some."

"Hot date tonight, huh?"

"Nah, tomorrow."

Alicia fell back on her pillow. "Then Curly, why did you wake me up? Why don't you ask one of your little friends if they have any tomorrow?"

"Because you're closer," he stated, matter-of-factly. Then he sat down on Angela's bed. "How was _your_ date tonight? First one in a few weeks, wasn't it?"

She threw her pillow at him, but her aim was off and it hit the wall behind him. "Shut up," she said, but she was smiling.

"Did you sleep with him?"

Alicia went a sort of mottled red color and sat up, abruptly. "Curly, I will ask that you get the fuck out of my room, now, before I have to hurt you."

Instead of getting the fuck out of her room, Curly laughed and sat down beside her. Playfully, he put an arm around her shoulder. She went rigid. "C'mon, Alicia, you know that the only way to keep a guy interested is to put out."

She shoved his arm off and stood up. Her face changed from mottled red to a bright purple. "Curly, not all people are sex-starved, horny beasts like you," Alicia snapped.

"Aw, come off it, Alicia. I'm just sayin', because I'm your brother and all that, that the only way to-"

"And I'm just sayin', because I'm your sister that you can't generalize people like that, because Travis isn't like you!" But Alicia knew that it was useless, because Curly wasn't very bright, and tended to not listen.

She was right. Curly was also a master at changing the subject, whether intentionally or not. "So, how're things with Tim?" he asked, nonchalantly.

Rolling her eyes, Alicia said, "Curly, you live in the same house. He's right next door; why don't _you_ ask him?"

Curly shrugged. "Don't wanna," he said, as if it explained everything.

She raised her eyebrows. "Why not? Does Tim scare you, Curly?" she asked, with a look of mock concern on her face.

He went red. "No!" Curly shouted, defiantly. He chucked her pillow back at her, but his aim was worse than hers was, and missed.

Alicia started laughing. "I know you're not afraid of Tim, Curly, don't get your cock in a knot." Then her smile faded, and she said, in an utterly serious voice, "but, honestly, I'm worried about Tim. He's not himself."

Curly shrugged. "It's a phase. Everyone goes through 'em. Maybe it's puberty."

"Curly, he's eighteen, not twelve."

"So?"

She put her faceon her pillowand muttered, "You are the biggest idiot ever, Curly."

He didn't say anything, and they lapsed into silence, both wondering what was going to happen next.

* * *

"So, my brother, Tim, is just… I don't know, like, driving the rest of us up the fucking wall. He never talks or anything. And it's not 'cause of Vietnam."

Alicia and Travis walked down the street, holding hands. It was a cold December day, and the wind whipped through her long, loose hair and made her face pink. She pulled her black jacket tighter around herself, and turned to face him. "Why's he upset then?" Travis asked, lighting a cigarette.

She bit her lower lip, trying to decide if telling him was worth it or not. The only people who knew about Tim were herself, Angela, maybe Curly, Dallas, and Summer. She knew, obviously, that none of them would tell. And considering she and Travis had walked in on Tim and Dallas in a rather compromising situation a few weeks ago, it wasn't like he didn't know something was up with Tim. "Okay, see, you know how a few weeks ago, you came over to my house, and we found Tim and another guy like, _having sex_ on my living room floor?"

Travis nodded, and his lips curved up into a smile. "You got so pissed," he laughed.

"You would too, if you walked in on your tuff older brother fucking another guy on the living room floor!" she defended. Then she sighed and ran a hand through her unruly curls. "Anyway, he and Dallas- you know, the guy he was with- broke up or something, and now Tim's all depressed about it." Then she widened her eyes. "Just… _please_ don't tell anyone, all right? 'Cause, ya know, Tim's already fucked as it is. Don't want him to lose his beloved reputation."

He put an arm around her shoulders and she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Don't worry, Ali. I won't tell anyone. Besides, if Tim's really been arrested as many times as you say he is there's no way in hell they'll send him to Vietnam."

They reached her front door a few minutes later. Alicia probably would have asked him inside, but a crash and a thud from the living room, followed by a loud, "oh _shit_," made her erase the thought from her mind all together. Instead, she smiled and kissed him, said goodbye, and walked inside.

* * *

The minute she stepped in the door, her mother thrust a duster and a vacuum into her hands. "Your grandma is coming at seven thirty. We've gotta clean!"

Alicia stared at her mother, dumbly. "Ma, why is grandma coming?"

Her mother scowled. Alicia knew that Margarita hated her husband's mother. "She's coming to say goodbye to your brother."

"But Tim's not leaving 'til May."

Margarita rolled her eyes. "I know. But _oh no_, Grandmamma had to see her precious Timmy." She began to dust a table. "She hates you kids, Tim especially. But since he's leaving, she wants to see him; I have no idea why. Anyway, your father wants this place spotless. I'm gonna go make dinner."

"Where're the others?"

"Angela and Tim are cleaning the upstairs and Curly and you are cleaning down here. Now hurry the hell up."

Alicia grabbed the vacuum cleaner and plugged it in and began cleaning the living room. Curly was wiping the windows with an already dirty rag and muttering about this being a 'woman's job.' She rolled her eyes and continued to vacuum.

At seven, all the cleaning was done. The house was more or less spotless, considering how it usually looked and the Shepards were sitting in the living room, waiting for the grandmother. All were conspicuous in their best clothes. Alicia and Angela were in white blouses that weren't dirty or ripped or showed too much skin, and Tim and Curly were in clean, white shirts and nice pants.

At 7:34, a car pulled up, and a woman stepped out. She walked, no, actually, she didn't walk, she _strutted_, up to the front door and knocked. Angela heard her mother sigh, loudly, as she walked to the door. Margarita opened it, very slowly, then she smiled. "Caroline, how are you?"

"Fine, Margarita," the older woman said, without trying to mask her bitterness. Everyone knew that Grandmother Shepard hated both her son and daughter-in-law. She hated her son for marrying a Mexican woman, and she hated Margarita for being Mexican. She probably hated her grandchildren just for being the spawn of an illegal U.S. citizen.

After a rather uncomfortable conversation concerning Tim, a conversation in which Tim took no part in, they all filed into the dining room. It was funny, in a way, because the last time any of them could remember the entire family eating together was a few years ago at Christmas. At the head of the table sat their father, on the end was their grandmother. On their father's right was Tim and next to Tim was Angela. On their father's left was Margarita and next to her was Curly. Alicia sat on his right.

In a way, Alicia was rather proud of her mother for trying to make a decent meal. She couldn't remember the last time she'd made them dinner. Tonight's dinner was chicken, rice, bread and water. As everyone began to eat, their grandmother began her inquisition. "So, Tim, how do you feel about going to Vietnam?"

Tim looked up, a hunk of chicken hanging half-out his mouth. It took him a few moments to register that the question was directed at him. "Uh, fine I guess."

"You're not scared?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

Tim shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just not." He continued to chew his food, slowly. "I guess it's 'cause I'm not really afraid of dying or nothing."

His grandmother eyed him. "What does your girlfriend say about that?"

He looked confused. "Girlfriend?"

Curly piped up. "No, Tim doesn't like gi- ow! Mother of _fuck_, Alicia, why'd you kick me?"

"Curly, don't swear," Alicia said, airily.

"Coming from you, that's pretty rich," he mumbled.

Then their grandmother perked up. "What did you say, Curly? Before Alicia kicked you?"

Curly made a big deal of shoveling as much food in his mouth as he could, and chewed slowly, before he decided to answer. It was obvious that he was trying to think of something, and failing. Curly wasn't very good at thinking on his feet. Finally, he swallowed. "I was gonna say that Tim doesn't have a girlfriend."

She looked almost disappointed. "But you said something about him not liking girls?"

Luckily, Angela was much better about thinking fast than Curly. "Oh, he doesn't like any girls in _this area_." Tim nodded in agreement.

Alicia crammed more rice in her mouth and washed it down with some water, while her grandmother began to quizAngela and herabout school. The rest of the meal went fine and it would have passed uneventfully, had Curly not opened his mouth.

They were almost all done with dinner, when Curly asked, innocently enough, "so, Tim, how's it going with you and Dally?"

Tim's head shot up, and he gave Curly a look to kill.

His mother looked at Tim. "Dally? As in Dally Winston? What happened? Did he slash your tires again?"

Tim looked back down at his plate. "No, it's okay, we just had a fight."

"Over what?"

"Nothing, all right?" Tim was getting a bit defensive. "It's okay, we're gonna work it out."

Now grandma got involved. "Who's Dally?"

"His friend," Alicia said, quickly.

"Why'd they get into a fight?" This question was directed at Alicia, and she looked a bit surprised.

"How should I know?"

"What did you get in a fight over, Timothy?"

Tim shrugged. "He just got mad at me, that's all."

"Why?"

"Like I know."

"Tim dumped him," Curly quipped. This time, it was Angela who kicked him under the table.

Grandma Shepard's eyes glinted with something that resembled malice. "You 'dumped' him, Timothy? 'Dumping' as in 'I dumped my girlfriend?'"

Tim sent Curly a look that could only mean one thing: _I am so kicking your ass_. To his grandmother, he said, "no, I just didn't want to be friends with a hood anymore. I'm reforming. So, in a sense, I did dump him."

Alicia choked on her rice.

His mother beamed. "So you're not going to hang around with your gang anymore, Tim?"

"Nope."

"But _Tim_. What'm I gonna do for fun anymore?" Curly whined.

Tim looked amusingly grave. "I don't know, Curly. I guess you're going to have to find some new friends."

Curly grumbled something about Tim being a lying bastard, but at least their grandmother was satisfied. She thanked them for the lovely meal, even though she was lying through her teeth and asked if her son would 'be so kind as to drive her home?" even though she was capable of driving herself.

A few minutes after she left, Tim went to bed. He felt slightly ill, and was pissed at pretty much everyone. He wanted to go out, but his head hurt and he felt sick to his stomach and just fell down on his bed. His last conscious thought before he fell asleep was of Dally.

**

* * *

****A/N:** _:Kicks herself: God, that was a shitty chapter. Anyway, because I can, I'm just gonna respond to my lovely reviewers. I love you all. Really, I do. _

**CrazyAlchemistgirl-**_ Oh my God:Hugs: I'm sorry I made you cry! I didn't mean to:Hugs again: _

**Hahukum Konn-** _I love your constructive criticism! I know it's not really historically accurate, and after I finish it, I probably will go back and revise it and whatnot. And I seriously hope it's not too OOC. _

**llefey- **_Thank you! I'm so glad you don't think Alicia's a Mary Sue. I tried to flaw her, and overall, I'm rather pleased with the result. _

**starbyrte: **_Aw, thanks. Yes, for some reason, I just see Curly as a sort of man-whore-type. Don't ask why. _

**krista:** _Heh, I love Paris! Not too fond of Nicole, but I adore Paris. _

* * *


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N:** _I am so, so sorry about not updating. Stuff's been really crazy at my work. My co-workers's girlfriend just passed away, and he had to drive out-of-state to go to her funeral, and so I've been working more than I usually do. (Read: From 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. And I work at Hastings. Not really important, just figured y'all wanted to know.) _

**Disclaimer:** _In case you haven't realized, I'm not S.E. Hinton. (Slowly progresses into song) I'm just a sweet transvestite, from Transsexual, Transylvania. (Haha, not really. I live in Idaho.) _

**Dedicated to:** _Ellen, for helping me write this chapter and going with me to buy my Beastie Boys shirt and 'The Half-Blood Prince' and swimming suit. _

* * *

"Tim, just _talk_ to him!" Alicia said, exasperated. "You're such a pain in the ass just moping around." She stormed around the kitchen, waiting for her cup of coffee to be done. Last night, someone drank the last of the beer, so Alicia had to deal with the last thing she had. Water or milk was out of the question: she needed something strong.

Tim took a drink from his own cup. "I'm _not_ 'moping around.'"

Alicia whirled around and put her hands on her hips. "Whaddya call it, then? 'Just sitting around, feeling depressed and shit?'"

"I'm not depressed," he snapped.

"Yes you are." Angela appeared in the doorway. "And there's no need to get defensive." She smirked and grabbed a mug, pouring some of the hot, black coffee into it.

"I'm _not _getting defensive," Tim snarled.

Angela cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Sounds pretty defensive to me."

Her brother took another drink and stood. "I gotta go."

"Where?"

Tim wiped his hands on his jeans and grabbed his jacket. "I'm meeting some friends," he responded, shortly.

"Where're you going?" Alicia demanded, lighting a cigarette.

He shrugged. "Around."

Angela drained her cup and grabbed Alicia's arm. "C'mon, Ali, we're gonna be late."

"Since when do you care if we're late?"

"Since Ms. Englund said that I'd have before-school detention again if I'm late again for homeroom."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said, and stood, grabbing her jacket and together they ran out the door.

* * *

Alicia linked her dark arm through Summer's snow-white one. It never failed to startle her how colorless Summer's skin was. She was lucky that she didn't get those bright red pimples that most girls got, because it would stand out like a beacon on her. Alicia wondered how bad she burned in the summer.

Summer's full, red lips turned up at the corners. Brushing some of her dark off her face, she asked, "so, how's your brother?"

"Not so good. He's just moping around, feeling sorry for himself." Alicia scowled. She hated people who wallowed in their filth.

"He has a pretty good reason to, though," Summer said, quietly.

Alicia sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. That was one thing she liked and hated about Summer. She was smart. She thought things through. She was logical. Unlike Alicia, she didn't loathe on a dime or jump to conclusions. It must have been all the reading. "I guess you're right," she muttered.

Summer smiled, faintly. When she smiled, she looked almost pretty, except her eyes still got really big. "Do you feel sorry for him?"

"What?"

"Do you feel sorry for him?" Summer asked again, softly. She didn't say it in a mean way; rather, it was as though she really wanted to know the answer.

Alicia shrugged. She wasn't the type of person who wanted or gave pity. Pity was one of those emotions she didn't like: she didn't want people to pity her, nor did she want to pity others. But, honestly, she _did_ feel sort of sorry for Tim. He was going to Vietnam and Dallas hated him. He was pretty screwed over. She sighed. "I guess I sorta do."

Her friend nodded, solemnly. "Good."

* * *

Angela slammed the tray down in front of Curly. "There's your goddamned burger and fries," she snarled, hating both her job as a low-paid waitress and her brother more and more. Curly merely grinned.

"Thanks, Angel."

"Angela!" Karl, her assistant general manager stormed over to her.

She sighed. "Yes?"

He looked flustered, and was turning an unflattering shade of mottled red. "How many times have I told you not to curse at the customers?"

Angela laughed. "No, see, he's not a real customer. He's my brother," she explained.

Karl bristled with indignation. "He's a paying customer. You must treat him with _respect_."

"Yeah, Angela, _respect_," Curly mimicked.

"Shut it!" she barked.

"Angela!" warned Karl.

The annoying bell tinkled, signaling someone was coming in. It was Alicia, and she strode over to Curly and Angela. Collapsing into the booth across from Curly, she said to Angela, "Guess what? I saw that Soda kid and he said-"

Karl, Assistant General Manager of the World, cut her off. "I'm sorry, miss, but now's not a good time." He turned back to Angela. "If I catch you swearing at a customer one more time, you're fired."

"Yes, Karl," Angela said, knowing that he would never fire her. Max's had gotten a lot more customers since Angela worked there. She was pretty and flirty and attracted men like flies to honey. Though she defiantly wasn't as sweet.

Twenty minutes later, her shift was over, and she sat down next to Alicia. Slowly, they demolished Curly's French fries and listened while Alicia recounted Soda's story. Apparently, Steve Randle and Dally got caught fighting some guys and were in the cooler.

Curly listened with less-than-rapt attention, when something caught his eye over Angela's shoulder. Or, rather, some_one_. A girl was wiping down a table on the other side of the café. She had long, pale gold hair, pale skin and a rather nice backside. Curly's mouth fell open and his eyes widened.

Angela snapping her fingers in his face brought Curly back to Earth. "Curly, what are you looking at?"

He nodded at the girl. "Who's that?"

Angela turned. "Her? Oh, that's Nini. She works here. Why?"

"Call her over."

"What?"

Curly rolled his eyes. "Just call her over."

Angela looked apprehensive. "Better be careful with this one, Curly. She's got a temper." Then she turned to Nini, who was wringing out her cloth. "Hey, Nini! Come over here!"

Nini glanced over her shoulder. When she saw Angela, she strode over, pale hair flying. She was a beauty. Her gold hair framed a lovely pale, heart-shaped face and her eyes were a deep green. "Angela!" she exclaimed. "What're ya doin' here, still? Yer shift's over." Nini may have looked delicate, but she had a rough, grating voice and she sounded British.

"Oh, we just wanted to see how you were doing," Angela said, smiling.

The blonde snorted. "Not so good. Karl's threatin' to fire me, 'cause I haven't showed up for a while. Says that he could give the job to a chit who'll show up and won't back sass." Her eyes fell on Alicia and Curly. "Who're you?"

"I'm Alicia," she said, smiling.

Curly gave Nini the once-over. "And I'm all yours," he smirked, eyes gleaming.

Nini was unimpressed. "Sorry, kid, but I'm spoken for. Why don'tcha find someone yer own age?"

Alicia tried to abort her laugh, and it came out as a sort of hacking cough.

Curly was taken aback. Normally girls climbed all over him. Nini raised an eyebrow. "Whassa matter? Cat gotcher tounge? Or are ya just dumb?"

No matter how stupid Curly was, he never failed to surprise. "Just imagining how you would look naked."

Alicia kept her head down, and her shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. Angela was slumped down in her seat, brutally embarrassed.

Nini snorted again. "Kid, I'm eighteen. I don't care how old ya are, I still ain't datin' you, savvy? Ya know what that would do to my reputation? Pretty soon I'll be 'Nini, the chit who sleeps with an' datestwelve year olds.' An' I don't want to be that girl. So, if you"

"I'm not twelve," Curly said. "I'm sixteen. I just look young."

"Curly, that is the biggest load of shit I've ever heard," Alicia said.

He shot her a look that plainly told her to shut up.

Nini saw the look and laughed. Looking at her nails, she said, "you'd be better off dating your sister, Curly, 'cause I don't do kids." With those words, she strode off, leaving Curly feeling very foolish.

* * *

Tim was on one of his nightly walks. When he was angry or upset, he just took to roaming the streets. Lately, he walked more than ever. Clutched in one hand was a beer bottle, and in the other was a pack of cigarettes. He filled his lungs with smoke and his gut with alcohol in an attempt to empty his head of everything. Then he heard a crash in a nearby alley and a voice rang out.

"You keep your grubby 'ands off me!" Tim looked over at the alley, and saw a couple big guys. They were cornering a girl, and she was trying to push them off her. "I swear to God, if you touch me one more time, I'll wring your neck!" she snarled. One of them caught her by the hair, and she slapped him, hard.

"Aw, c'mon, girlie. Kiss me once?" Tim recognized them. They were friends of Curly's. Kurt, Billy, Joel and David. They were about fifteen or sixteen, and if they had any common sense, they would respect him.

As much as it pained Tim to admit it, he and Alicia really did have a lot in common. One of them was the desire for fairness. Both of them hated outnumbering. And even if he was completely shit-faced, he could see that this chick needed some help or something really horrible would happen.

"Hey, man, lay off," Tim slurred, trying to restore his self-composure.

The one who was holding the girl by the hair dropped her. "Hey, Tim, when did you get out of the cooler?"

"I've been out for a while," Tim answered vaguely. Then he nodded at the girl. "And I'll thank you not to touch my girl."

She stared at him, confused. "What?"

Obviously, Tim had stuck all of them dumb. "You know her?" one of the kids asked.

Tim nodded, rather amused with the whole thing. "Yeah, we've been going out for a while. Now clear off, before I skin ya."

The boys exchanged glances, then slouched off. Tim turned at looked at the girl, and he was struck by her beauty. Her long hair was pale blonde and her eyes were a bright, piercing green. Instead of looking grateful, she scowled at him. "I didn't need your help," she snapped. Her purse clasp was broken, and her makeup, wallet and everything were scattered all over the ground.

Bending down, Tim grabbed a lipstick tube and handed to her. "Here, you dropped this," he offered, trying to be nice. He didn't know why he was trying, because the girl would have none of it.

She snatched it out of his hand, and glared at him. "I don't need your help. Now fuck off, kid, and leave me the hell alone." Her glare was almost deadly.

Tim was taken aback. No one had called him "kid" in a while. The last time, he thought, was when he was fourteen. Who did this broad think she was? "I ain't a 'kid,'" he said. For some reason, her particular comment reminded him strongly of Angela. His little sister was proud and cold and he could tell this girl was the same. Examining the blonde, he could tell that she was either his age, or a little younger. "I'm about the same age as you."

She snorted. "I'm eighteen." Her voice was rough and bitter and metallic.

He smirked. "Same here."

Raising her eyebrows, she asked, her tone softening a little, "do ya know them? Those kids, I mean."

Tim shrugged. "Sort of. I mean, my younger brother does."

The blonde girl nodded, and sat down on the cement step in front of the back door of the café. Tim sat down next to her. Pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her white purse, she lit one, and offered one to him. He took it, and for a while, the smoked in silence. "So, what's your name?" Tim asked.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Nini," she said.

"Just Nini? No last name?" he asked. When she didn't answer, they continued to smoke in the silence.

Then, "Christine," she whispered. "Chapman. That's me real name. But I've been Nini for 's long as I can remember." Her curtain of pale hair fell in front of her face. She brushed it away impatiently. "And you're a Shepard."

Tim raised his eyebrows. "How the hell do you know?"

Nini smirked. "I knew it. There's a chit that comes inta Max's a lot, and you look almost exactly alike. She's a Shepard, Alicia, I think her name is, and if she was a few feet taller an' a few years older, y'all could pass as twins."

He didn't know if he should be shocked or impressed by this piece of information. Yes, if Alicia were a few years older they could pass as fraternal twins. Everyone knew that. Even this new, weird chick. He decided to change the subject.

"So, Nini, where're you from? I've never seen you before."

"England. London, if ya want specifics. My mum moved us here after a row with my dad. I was about sixteen, and we went to Broken Arrow. We lived there for a few years, then she just up an' died." She looked almost disgusted.

Tim said the only thing he could. "Sorry." He didn't really know what to make of Nini. She spoke of her mother's death with such simplicity and lack of emotion that it almost surprised him.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be. I don't even know how she died, an' I don't care. She was a pain in the ass anyway."

For some unfathomable reason, Tim actually _liked_ his mother. He would never admit it to anyone, but he appreciated her. She kept out of his way and left him alone and didn't mind when he came home drunk. She was lenient. When he was younger, she didn't make him take care of or baby-sit Alicia and Angela. If he and his father fought, she would take Tim's side. All she cared about was that he didn't get Curly into too much trouble (not that Curly needed any help) and that he made sure he approved of the boys Alicia and Angela dated.

He shrugged. "So then what?"

"I came here. An' I got a job." Nini's cool, grating voice trailed off. She dragged her long pale hair over her shoulder and ran her fingers through it. "I don' really know why I came to Tulsa," she mused. "Guess it was because I wanted somethin' new, ya know? I wanted to go somewhere I'd never been. But sometimes I think of London, and I get sorta homesick. I had some real nice friends there. The kind that're always there and've always got your back. They were great."

Tim silently agreed with her. He wanted to get the hell out of Tulsa, maybe even Oklahoma. He remembered once, when they were really drunk, Dally told him about New York, and Tim thought that he might want to visit sometime. Dally said there were gangs and bars and clubs and it was fun. But that memory made him think of Dally, which made him want to think of something else.

"I'm going away," he said, and Nini looked up. "And I ain't ever coming back." But he knew that wasn't true, because Tulsa was like a part of him, just like Dally was like a part of him, and Curly and Alicia and Angela and his mother. Maybe he did want to leave, but he knew he would come back. Someday.

"Why ain't ya coming back?" Nini asked.

Tim shrugged. "I hate it here."

She laughed. "It's kinda funny, in a way, 'cause I don't hate it here. I mean, I don' really like it, but I don' hate it. Maybe it's your sister that makes it better."

"Which one?"

"Angela. She's pretty cool, you have to admit." Nini laughed a little. "She's a piece. Never met anyone like her."

Tim processed this information. While he wouldn't go so far as to say that Angela was "cool," he liked her. Unlike Alicia, she knew when to back off and shut up. He nodded at Nini. "She's all right."

"So, what's it like?" Nini asked. When Tim gave her a quizzical look, she elaborated. "To have two sisters and a brother, I mean. I don't have any siblings."

Tim laughed. "It can be a bitch." The question actually got him thinking. True, if he had it his way, he wouldn't have any sisters or a brother, but at the same time, he sort of liked it. It was fun in a way to have drunken conversations with Curly and beat up kids for Angela because they annoyed her and watch stupid Audrey Hepburn movies with Alicia, and he liked the feeling that they were there, always. They were there because they were family, and, no matter what anyone said about the Shepards, they stuck together. He knew that his gang wasn't always going to be there, but Curly, Angela and Alicia would.

"D'ya like them?" Nini said. Her pretty green eyes were fixed on his.

Tim thought for a moment. 'Like' wasn't really the word he would use to describe his feelings toward Curly, Angela or Alicia. He didn't have a problem with Curly, got along with Angela and could tolerate Alicia. He shrugged. "Yeah, sort of."

"You're lucky," Nini said, quietly.

He snorted. "Why?"

"You've got your sisters and brother. Angie really likes ya. She says that you protect her and Curly and Alicia."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "No she didn't." Angela would never say anything like that.

Nini glared at him. "Are you callin' me a liar, Shepard? Y'all can say anythin' about me, but I sure as hell _don't_ lie."

Her eyes were flashing, and Tim backed down. He really didn't feel like fighting now. All he really wanted to do was go home and go to sleep. "When did she say that?"

Nini took a long drag on her cigarette. "While back. 'Bout… eh, three weeks ago."

_Three weeks_. Tim tried to think back to three weeks ago, but his head was so hazy with alcohol and cigarettes and fatigue he couldn't. All he remembered was watching in mute fascination as Angela and Alicia burned down the school stage. And that was near Thanksgiving, so by that reckoning it was December. _December_. It was already fucking December. That meant only one month 'til New Year's and another four months after that until he was deported. _Jesus motherfuckin' Christ._ He took another long drag on his cigarette, then stood. "I've gotta go," he said.

Nini got to her feet. "I'd better get home, too," she mumbled. Her long legs were wobbling a little as she stood, and Tim helped her until she was upright. Nini smiled at him. "Thanks." She had a really nice smile, Tim realized. As she walked away in the opposite direction, she called over her shoulder, "see ya 'round."

* * *

The moment Tim entered his house, he realized something was amiss. His parents were sitting together, talking calmly and seriously. They never talked. They yelled and screamed and threw things, but never _talked_. But Tim welcomed the quiet. He just wanted to sleep.

Stumbling up the stairs, he started down the hall to his bedroom. The light was on in Alicia and Angela's room, and he heard their door creak open. "Tim!" It was Angela. "Come here. We gotta talk."

He turned and glared at her. "No, Angela, I'm tired. We'll talk later."

"No, Tim, we have to talk _now_. It's a family meeting."

He groaned. "Fine, five minutes."

Her head turned and she said in a mocking voice, "toldja." Then he could hear Alicia mutter something in response.

Alicia and Angela were sitting on Alicia's bed, and Curly was on Angela's. Tim sat next to his brother. Alicia didn't wait for any questions. "Ma and Dad are getting a divorce," she blurted promptly.

For some reason, Tim knew this was coming. It didn't stop him from being a bit shocked, though. "What?"

"They were talking about it earlier. Me and Ang were in here and mom came in and, calm as hell, she said, 'you're father and I are splitting up.' And then she left."

"So?" Tim asked.

"Right now, they're talkin' about custody and all that," Curly said. "Ma says she's only gonna take two of us."

Angela scowled. "It's like she's talking about toys or somethin'. Not her own goddamned kids."

"I ain't goin' to live with dad," Alicia piped up.

"You might have to," Angela pointed out. "It's not like we're gonna get a choice who we're going with-" she stopped in the middle of her sentence. "Wait. I just had an idea. Tim, you're eighteen, right?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "No shit."

Angela ignored him. "Why don't you buy an apartment?"

Three pairs of eyes landed on her. "What?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, see, you can buy an apartment, and we can live with you. And after you leave…" she trailed off. Tim leaving was a sensitive topic for all of them. It was like a bruise that you tired not to touch, but sometimes accidentally prodded. She lowered her eyes and bit her lip. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to bring it up…"

Tim shook his head. "It's okay. I mean, it's gonna happen anyway, isn't it?"

Alicia didn't want to talk about Tim leaving. "I think it's a good idea, Angel," she said, quickly. "What do you think?" She looked right at Tim.

Tim turned Angela's idea over in his mind. He could most likely afford buy or rent an apartment. And he wouldn't mind living with his siblings as long as they left him alone and helped pay the bills. He wouldn't have to live with his parents anymore. No more abiding by their rules. No one to yell for being out too late. No one to tell him to go shopping for anyone but himself. Maybe he should get an apartment. After all, if his brother and sisters annoyed him too much, he could always kick them out. He nodded. "I like it."

**

* * *

****A/N:** _Okay, this was a sucky chapter. (Le sigh) I swear, the next one will be better! I'm hoping it will be up on or before next Monday, but I'm not sure. (Runs off to start chapter 18.) _


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Quite important A/N:** _Okay, so that plan didn't exactly work out. Sorry, everybody. I have volleyball all this week, and school starts for me on the 29th. And that sucks. Anyway, I'm going to have volleyball for two months straight after school, so there might not be very many updates until the end of the season in October. But I'll try; I really will. I love you all, and I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint._

**Chapter dedication:** _Nina a.k.a. Oprah. From the ever-loving Star Jones. And Ramona. :Dies: "We're gonna have a good show today!"_

* * *

"No fucking way, Angela. Put the damn cat away so we can go."

"No. I'm taking her with us. She'll die without me!" Angela clung to the kitten.

Tim shook his head. "Not if Ma feeds her."

Angela snorted loudly. "Like she will. She's too wrapped up in her new boyfriend." It was just like their mother. Three days after the divorce, she had a new boyfriend.

There was a loud honking noise, and both Tim and Angela jumped and saw Alicia sitting in the driver's seat, her right palm pressed firmly on the horn of Tim's car. "Hurry the hell up, or me and Curly'll go alone," she shouted. Tim knew she could drive, and now he deeply regretted teaching her.

He ran his hand through his hair. "Angie, leave the cat. The guy said no pets."

Angela scratched the cat behind the ears. "She ain't a pet. She's _family_."

"Nice time to start following the rules, Tim," Alicia commented from the car.

Tim sucked in his breath and counted to ten. He was not going to get all bent out of shape over Angela and her stupid cat. "Angela, _please_ leave the cat?"

"Nope. And if I can't take her, then I ain't movin' in with you."

Her brother shrugged. "Fine by me."

"What?" Alicia was out of the car and storming over. "No. Angel, you're being an idiot. Tim, you're being a jackass. If Angela stays, we're all stayin'. It's all or nothin'."

Curly climbed out of the car and stumbled over. He was tired, considering it was nine o'clock on a Sunday morning and he wasn't used to getting up before noon. "Can we go?" he asked, impatiently.

"Curly, shut up," Alicia barked. "We're having a problem."

Her older brother rolled his eyes. "No, we aren't. If Angel ain't willin' to give up her cat, then me an' Tim'll go alone." He looked at Tim, as if for approval.

Tim shook his head. "No, we won't. I agree with Alicia. Never thought I'd say that," he added under his breath. "But it's all or none. As much as we all hate to admit, we're family. And we've gotta stick together. We're on our own now."

* * *

Much to everyone's surprise, Tim let Angela keep the cat. She sat with Alicia in the backseat, with Shadow in her lap, while Alicia was talking. "So, Tim, are we like your kids now?"

His lips turned up a little at the corners, and Alicia could tell he was thinking about what they all would be like if they were his offspring. God, that was a scary thought. "No."

"So, you didn't adopt us or nothin'? We're livin' with you illegally?"

"Yep." He kept his eyes on the road.

Alicia looked mildly surprised. "Really?" When he nodded, she continued. "So, we're not your responsibility?"

Then he turned around in his seat and looked Alicia right in the eye. Angela gave a small scream, and Curly leaned over his seat and grabbed onto the steering wheel as the car swerved, narrowly missing driving off the road. "Yeah, you are my responsibility. So don't fuck it up, all right?" Then he turned around and gripped the steering wheel.

"What'll happen if someone finds out? Like the fuzz or somethin'?" Angela asked.

"Y'all have to either move back with mom or get sent to a girls home," Tim muttered, flatly.

Alicia said, "Don't let them find out."

* * *

"This is it?" Angela asked, her voice disbelieving. Shadow leapt out of her arms and dashed off.

Tim shoved the key into his pocket and surveyed the front room. "Yep, this is it," he said.

Alicia, detecting a hint of pride in his voice, ventured timidly, "I think it's nice. I mean, we're on our own now, aren't we? And this is the best we're gonna get, isn't it?" She said it in a way that wasn't a question, it was more a statement, but she still sounded a little afraid.

"I like it," Curly said. Normally, Curly wasn't a people-pleaser. He said what he wanted and did what he wanted, but when it came to Tim, he would say exactly what his brother wanted to hear.

They didn't have much to move in because they'd sold most of their belongings, or left them at home. Their mother made them promise that they would come and visit at least twice a month. The apartment was small: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a main room and a kitchen. Tim, of course, got the master bedroom, Alicia and Angela had to share again, and Curly got the smallest room.

It took all of Saturday and most of Sunday to move in. When they finished, Tim fell down on the couch, and laid down the law. They couldn't smoke weed in the apartment, or they'd get evicted. They couldn't drink alcohol in the apartment, or they'd get evicted. They couldn't have loud, raging parties in the apartment, or they'd evicted. (He looked right at Curly when he said this.) They couldn't light fires and douse them with flammable liquids, or they'd get evicted. (Now he looked at Alicia.) They couldn't play extremely loud music or have loud, crazy sex, or they'd get evicted. (His steely eyes landed on Angela.)

"So, basically, everything fun's banned?" Curly said, looking miffed.

"Yeah," Tim said. "But, if you want to leave…" he trailed off, smirking slightly.

"No, no, no, no," Curly blurted. The last thing any of them wanted was to go live with their mother and her new boyfriend.

"Figured. Now, the bills." From his pocket, Tim withdrew a piece of paper and a pen. "We're all going to pay for something. Food, water bill, electricity, all that. Somehow, y'all've gotta get money. I don't care how. Steal it, get a job, rob some kid, whatever. I don't care."

Curly looked up and said, with a wry grin, "Can we whore ourselves?"

Tim shot him a dirty look. "What do you think? That's the one thing I'm not lettin' any of you do."

"I'll pay for food," Alicia said, trying to be helpful.

Surprisingly, Tim almost smiled. "Good. Angie, what do you want to do?"

Angela thought for a moment. "Water bill."

Curly would pay for electricity, and Tim would take care of everything else. After deciding who would pay for what, he left to meet with his gang, leaving his sisters and brother to decide how to get money.

* * *

"Okay, Curly, you take the two biggest ones, I'll take the blonde and the redhead, and Angel, you be the distraction. It'll be fun."

"Why am I the distraction?"

"Cause you're pretty. They'll look at you, giving me and Curly time to beat 'em up."

"Like they're gonna look at me. They think I'm trash compared to them."

"So? You're better lookin' than me or Curly. Trust me, Angel. They'll look at you."

Angela sighed, and stood. She didn't mind showing off how good-looking she was, but when she was used as bait, it got old. But they needed money, and jumping rich kids was the easiest way to get it. Sashaying up to the group of Socs, she swung her hips in an exaggerated manner and flicked back her hair. They stopped and looked at her. As they catcalled at her, Angela noticed Alicia and Curly creeping up behind the Socs, with a baseball bat in hand. Alicia caught Angela's eye and grinned.

Luckily, there was no one else around. Alicia swung the baseball bat and cracked as hard as she could on the redhead's skull. The trick was not to be seen. Then she swung it on the other one's head, rendering both unconscious. Smirking slightly, she felt around in the first one's pockets for a wallet. Pulling it out, she grinned. "Five bucks!" she exclaimed. The blonde kid had ten bucks, and she shoved both into her pocket.

The ones Curly hit had twenty all together, and they quickly ran off. Alicia swung her baseball bat around as they walked down the street. She felt sort of exhilarated, because she'd never carried so much money in her pocket at one time. Normally when she and Curly jumped kids, they did it for the fun of it. Not to steal. This was both exciting and terrifying.

"So is this what we're gonna be doing for the rest of our lives?"

Curly grinned. "Yep. Or until we get jobs."

"Which is never gonna happen," Angela said. "You'd never get a job, and Alicia would get fired within five minutes with all the shit she does."

"You do a bunch of shit, and you don't get fired," Alicia said, pointedly. "What makes ya think I would?"

Angela smirked. "Because I'm prettier than you," she said.

Curly laughed. "No, because people like you. Because you put out."

"I do _not_ put out!" Angela cried, indignantly. "I'm just flirty and get tips." She tossed her hair. "Besides, it's not like _you_ have a job, Curly. You'd get fired like _that_." She snapped her fingers to show her point and the conversation ended.

Surprisingly, it was more relaxing living with Tim than it was with their mother. He was out most of the time, always leaving some chore to do. Alicia, Angela and Curly lived life in a sort of routine way now, only it was more fun. Every day, they would wake up, go to school, come home, drop their stuff off, jump some more kids to get money and then do whatever they pleased. On the weekends, they hung around with friends.

Of course, no one knew that they lived with Tim, except their mother and their friends. They didn't let the school know, and they never planned on letting them. It felt thrilling and dangerous, as Alicia put it. "Like being convicts on the run or somethin'."

* * *

The combined smell of coffee, bacon, eggs, toast and something chocolate wafted into Tim's nostrils and made him almost gag. Who the fuck ate chocolate for breakfast? He sure as hell didn't; chocolate made him sick. Without opening his eyes, he wondered why he was smelling food. Cooked food. The most any of his family ever ate for breakfast was cereal. Was Angela trying to cook again? Alicia? Then a horrible thought struck him: what if it was Curly cooking? He would burn down the fucking apartment! "Curly!" he cried out, tiredly.

Then he felt a soft jab in the ribs. Opening his eyes, he saw Angela, peering down at him, intently. Her small hands were curled around a mug of coffee, and she grinned. "Good, you're awake." Standing next to her was Alicia, also grinning.

Tim tried to sit up, but his head hurt too much. "Where… where are we?" he mumbled.

"Curtis's. When you didn't come home last night, we figured we'd find ya here," Angela said.

He tried to remember how he ended up here. He remembered a fight, and getting hit in the head and trying to get home. Along the way, he passed the Curtis's house. Their door, as always, was unlocked, so he went in and fell asleep on the couch. He didn't remember the details of the fight, or even who he was fighting. All he knew was that he got hit on the head. "Where's Curly?" he demanded.

"Kitchen," Angela replied.

"What time is it?"

Alicia combed her fingers through her hair. "'Round seven. We've gotta go to school soon. We just came by to make sure you weren't dead." She turned her head in the direction of the kitchen and screeched, "Curly! We're leaving! Hurry the hell up!" To Tim, she said, "see ya." Angela nodded at him, and they left, with Curly in their wake.

* * *

School would have been uneventful, if Miss Jamison, Alicia's math teacher, hadn't have dropped the bomb: There was going to be a school dance. A winter formal. And, shockingly, Alicia, Angela and Curly were allowed to go. Even after they ruined the Thanksgiving play, they were allowed to go to the dance.

Alicia loved dances. She liked spending hours getting ready with Angela and then going out and hanging out with her friends. After the dance, she and Angela would hang around and flirt with guys, then go home around three or four in the morning. She loved it and was definitely going.

At lunch, she caught up with Summer and Angela. "Y'all goin' to the dance?" she asked.

Angela laughed. "Fuck yeah. You?"

"Yeah. Summer?"

Her friend shook her head. "I hate dances."

"Please? It'll be fun. I promise. You can get ready with us," Alicia pleaded.

Summer shook her head. "I don't dance," she said. "Besides, I don't have a date. Both of you do. And I'll be like a spare part." She had a point, actually. Alicia was going with Travis, and Angela would most likely find some poor sap to go with. She always did.

Still, Alicia felt sort of bad for her friend. Putting her arm around Summer, she said, "don't worry, Summer. We'll make it up to you, 'kay?"

Summer laughed, softly. "It's okay. I just don't like dances. They annoy me. Besides, even if I did have a boyfriend, I still wouldn't got to a stupid dance with him."

Angela shrugged. "Suit yourself. I love dances." She grinned. "I'm gonna get me the best looking kid in school for this dance, just you wait."

* * *

Tim staggered down the street to the apartment. His head felt heavy, and he was surprised he wasn't bowled over by the weight. The oldest Curtis, Darry, had actually been pretty nice to him, giving Tim coffee when he asked, and letting him sleep on the couch until noon. The rest of his "gang" only shuffled around, almost nervous, and didn't talk much. Especially Dally, who Tim noticed stayed in the kitchen most of the time. He was avoiding him.

_Why did I even go to the fucking Curtis's?_ Tim wondered, rubbing his temples. He knew exactly why. He wanted to go in the off-chance that Dallas would be there, and they could talk. Obviously, that plan had backfired.

"Tim!" A voice behind him made him jump, and his head began to throb, painfully. There was a flash of shimmering gold hair, and Nini ran up beside him. She grinned, and Tim couldn't help grinning back. She looked amazing in tight jeans and dark green button-down blouse that made her eyes stand out. "I haven't you in forever. How've ya been?"

"Not good. I'm so fucking sore."

She grinned again. "Yeah, I saw you fightin' some people last night. You were doin' good, 'til ya got hit." She laughed. "I never understood rumbles or whatever the hell they're called."

Tim shook his head. "What? Who was I fighting?"

Nini raised her thin eyebrows. "You don't remember? How thick can you be? You were goin' after some kids, Brumley, I think. Don't know why. But it was in a vacant lot, and there were a bunch of us there, watchin'. It was crazy."

"Who was there?"

She thought for a moment. "Your gang, of course, and the Brumley kids, and your gang's girlfriends, and theirs. And some other kids that just wanted to watch. I'm friends with Mike's girl, so we was there watchin'."

"Was Dallas Winston there?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, if he was, I didn't see him. He mighta been watching."

Tim exhaled, not realizing he'd been holding his breath and began to pray with every fiber of his being that Dally wasn't there watching.

She shrugged. "I think so. Why do you care?"

"I don't know," he responded.

They walked for a while in silence. Some kid rode by quickly on his bicycle, causing Nini to move to the and bump into Tim. A spasm of pain shot through him. "Jesus Christ!" he yelled.

Nini laughed. "Sorry," she said, and softly touched the bruise on his arm. Smiling slightly, she pressed on it, gently. "Does that hurt?"

He grimaced. "Yeah. I hurt all fucking over."

She put her arms around his neck. "Maybe I can make you feel better, eh?"

They began to walk down the street, Nini with a smile on her beautiful face, and Tim with a scowl and a limp. When they reached Tim's apartment, he put the keys in his pocket and sunk onto the couch. Nini knelt down next to him, an kissed him full on the lips. Pushing her away gently, he moaned, "no, Nini, doll, not now."

She pouted her full, pink lips. "Why not, Tim? I'll make ya feel loads better, I swear."

He laughed a little. "Sorry, Nini. I'm fucking tired."

Amazingly, Nini backed down. Smiling sympathetically, she stroked his forehead. "All right, baby, you just sleep."

Tim closed his eyes and was asleep in moments. Not for long, though, because the door slammed open and Curly, Angela and Alicia trooped in. Angela and Alicia were chatting about some dance on Friday, but they stopped when Angela saw Nini. "Nini!" she cried, delighted. "I haven't seen you in fucking _forever_, how've you been!"

Jesus, Angela was loud. Tim massaged his temples, swearing under his breath. He wished he had quiet siblings that did what they were told. But, no, he had insane, loud ones who didn't know when to shut up. Not that he wasn't somewhat fond of them, though.

Shakily, he got to his feet, and began to stagger down the hall to his bedroom. He doubted anyone noticed. Collapsing on his bed, he wondered what he would have done if Dally would have been at the Curtis's last night. Actually, he knew what would have happened. Dally probably would have tried to beat the shit out of him, and Tim would have to fight him back, waking up the entire house. Then he would have been thrown out of the house- literally- by Darry, and the eldest Curtis probably would have beaten the tar out of him for good measure. Maybe it was a good thing he hadn't seen Dally.

* * *

A few hours later, Nini left, and Alicia and Angela began mapping out their plans for the dance. It wasn't until they'd gotten to the part where they'd smuggle in a few beers, when they realized that Curly wasn't participating. "Curly, what's goin' on, man? You love this stuff," Angela said.

He shrugged. "Don't feel like goin' to the dance."

Alicia looked shocked. "But we're actually allowed to go this time, Curly! It'll be fun. We'll hang out afterward, you know, smoke a few joints, drink some beer, jump some kids. It'll so cool!" She grinned.

He shook his head. "I'll just hang out with the gang instead. They're more fun than some shitty dance."

Shrugging, Alicia said, "whatever. You used to love dances." Then she and Angela continued their plotting.

* * *

Friday night finally arrived. Alicia and Angela spent hours getting ready, trying to achieve perfection. Angela, of course, had not trouble with this, but Alicia had a harder time. After three hours in their bedroom, styling their hair and putting on makeup, they were finally ready. Angela's dress went down to her knees and was a deep purple, and Alicia's was dark green. The dance was supposed to start at six and end at nine, and it was now five-thirty.

Tim, Angela and Alicia were sitting around the kitchen table. Alicia was spinning her ring around the table, Tim was reading the paper and Angela was filing her nails. It was quiet, except for the sound of metal hitting the table and the sound of the newspaper pages turning. Then Angela looked up. "Where's Curly?" she asked.

Tim barely looked up. "He said something about going to the dance," he said.

"What?" Alicia said, confused. What happened to 'the gang is more fun than a dance?' "He said he wasn't gonna go."

Her brother shrugged. "Guess he changed his mind."

"Who was he going with?" Alicia asked, eager for details.

"Hell if I know," Tim said.

"Oh. Hey, Tim could you-" Alicia began, but Tim cut her off.

"You want me to give you a ride to the dance, right?" Tim finished.

Alicia nodded. Tim sighed. "Fine."

By the time Angela and Alicia arrived, there were already twenty minutes late. Actually, they would have been on time, if it weren't for Tim. He gave them the third degree (do whatever you want, just don't get caught) in the school parking lot, and it took thirty minutes. Ever since they'd moved in with him, he'd been more strict than before. It actually seemed that he didn't want to lose them.

Or at least have them sent to a girls' home.

Angela found her date right away, so Alicia went to talk to some of her friends. The entire time, she was keeping an eye out for Curly. Across the room, she spotted Travis, and she walked up to him. He grinned at her, and grabbed her hand. "Where were you?" he said, loudly over the music.

"Sorry, my brother was giving some speech about how I should stay out of trouble," she said. "I stopped paying attention about halfway through."

He laughed, and put his arms around her waist, and they began to sway together to the music. Alicia noticed that Angela and her date were in the corner, practically eating each other's faces and looking like a poster for true lust. She smiled to herself, and rested her head on Travis's shoulder. He smelled nice and clean, much nicer than her brothers.

Then she saw Curly arrived with a pretty girl in a red dress. Alicia couldn't see the girl's face, but she looked vaguely familiar. Her long, straight hair was black and she had fair skin. Alicia decided to ignore Curly, and closed her eyes, liking the way Travis danced. She heard Curly's voice to her left, and she opened her eyes, and saw who he was with. Alicia's jaw dropped.

It was Summer.

* * *


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**A/N:** _Jesus Christ. Volleyball was a bitch… but I loved it. (Woo, first place! City champs!) So, after the longest and most fun season ever, drunken after-game parties, two to three hour practices, being mentioned THREE TIMES (!) in the paper, and last-minute homework, it's back to updating. Not that I don't mind updating, mind you. I really love you all. A lot. _

**Disclaimer:** _Nope, don't own, except Alicia and all who you do not recognize. If S.E. Hinton wants to come over to my home and beat me with a paddle and ask whose boss, I'll tell her. (I'll say Patrick Swayze, but that's not the point.)_

* * *

Alicia knew that she looked like a complete idiot standing there with her mouth hanging open, but she didn't care. Curly was at a dance… with one of her best friends. Summer, of all people. And they were slow dancing. And they were very, very close. To close for Alicia's comfort, anyway. 

But Summer didn't look like herself. She had her long hair combed and it was shining in the light. She wasn't slouching like she normally did, and because of this, she looked taller and more confident. Her skin was glowing, and she was wearing a trace of red lipstick. A very happy smile was playing on her face, and she actually looked really pretty.

Breaking herself away from Travis, Alicia said that she was going to the ladies', and she marched over to Curly. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, she dragged him away from Summer and led him to an empty corner. "What the _fuck_ are you doing with her, Curly?" she practically shouted.

Curly was in a daze, and he merely grinned. Alicia slapped him, hard, and a few of the nearby couples stared at her. "Ow, whadja do that for?" Curly whined.

"I'll do it again if you don't tell me what the fuck is goin' on," she threatened. When Alicia got mad, she could look terrifying. Her eyes flashed dangerously.

Curly backed down. "Okay, okay. I met her two days ago at school. I accidentally ran into her in the hall and she dropped all her shit and I helped her pick it up and we started talking. And we sort of clicked."

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "How the fuck did you 'click?' First off, she's _my_ age, meaning one year younger than you. Second, she don't fight. She hates violence and that kind of shit. And, third Curly, she's smart. She's the smartest person I know. And you're, and I say this seriously, the dumbest. You have nothing in common. And don't give me that 'opposites attract' bullshit."

He shrugged, making her even more infuriated. "Sorry. She's good-lookin' though."

"Is that why you go out with girls, Curly?" Alicia's already shrill voice was raising to a more hysterical pitch. "Because they're 'good-lookin'? I swear to God, Curly, if you do _anything_ to her, and I mean _anything_, I will hunt you down, and I will kill you."

Angela chose this moment to walk over. Her cheeks were bright pink and she was giggling like an idiot. Trailing behind her was her date. "What's going on?" she laughed.

Alicia shot her a withering look. "Curly's going out with Summer."

Still giggling, Angela said, "that's great!"

Her sister was bordering hysteria. "No it's _not_! Curly'll do something like get her pregnant or dump her or get all abusive! He's already gone out with enough of my friends and I don't want Summer to get her heart broken!"

"Aw, dry up, Ali. It's just a one night thing, all right? I won't screw around with your little friends anymore," Curly said, eager to get back to the dance.

"Like you're gonna keep that promise," Alicia scoffed. But she backed off.

Cutting herself a path through the throng of sweaty bodies, Alicia went back to Travis. Smiling, she said, "there was a line," and put her arms around his neck. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, with Alicia keeping the corner of her eye on Curly at all times.

"Who's your brother with?" Travis asked her.

Alicia turned and looked at Curly and Summer. Summer had just whispered something in Curly's ear, and he grinned. "Summer Anderson," she answered, shortly.

"Aren't you friends with her?"

"Yes."

His lips curved into a smile. "Are you mad at her?"

"No, I'm mad at Curly," she said. "I've told him over and over not to date my friends. And does he listen?"

He laughed. "Looks like they're having a good time though."

Alicia looked over at her brother and friend. Travis did have a point. Summer was talking, and Curly was nodding like he understood every word she was saying. Which, now that Alicia thought about it, he probably didn't. Summer tended to use bigger words, and crazy metaphors and analogies, and Curly didn't even understand the majority of two-syllable words.

"Yeah, it does," she said, more to herself than him. "He doesn't even understand what she's talking about. He's just trying to agree with her and shit so she doesn't think he's an absolute idiot."

Travis kissed the top of her head. "Bit bitter, aren't ya?" he asked. But he said it nicely.

She laughed, softly. "Maybe I am." But she decided to let the subject drop.

At nine o'clock, the dance ended, and the couples began to file out. Angela was still glued to her date's face, so Alicia began to walk out on her own. Travis had to be home because his parents were out, and he had to take care of his younger sisters and brothers. She smiled as he said good-night to her, and stood outside the school, smoking a joint, with about five feet in between her and Angela, who seemed to be perpetually fastened to her date.

A few moments later, Curly and Summer walked by. He had his arm around her waist, and they were talking in low voices. Actually, Summer was talking and Curly was laughing at something she said. There was a sound like a plunger being removed from a sink, as they turned the corner and disappeared, and Angela surfaced. Pushing her date away, she stormed over to Alicia. "Did you see that? Curly and Summer. Did they come here together?"

Alicia resisted smacking her sister. "Yes, Angel, they came here together. We already talked about it. And you said that it was great."

Angela's date tried to put his arms around her, but Angela shoved him off. "Go away, Jack. Go… do something with your friends. My sister and I are having a crisis."

Watching Angela's date rush off to find his friends, Alicia said, "Jesus, do you treat _all_ your boyfriends like that?"

"Yes," Angela said. "So, how long have they been… together?"

Alicia shrugged. "Hell if I know. Curly likes her though."

"How long d'you think it's gonna last?"

"Bet ya a buck one week tops. And she'll dump him."

Snorting, Angela said, "you're on."

They hoisted their backpacks over their shoulders and went to the nearest convenience store, where they holed up in the bathroom and changed into jeans and regular shirts.

"So, where's the best parties?" Alicia asked as she swiped some red lipstick over her lips.

Angela squinted and applied more eyeliner, as she said, "Buck's, duh. And, best of all, Tim's not gonna be there, so we can do whatever we want."

Alicia grinned and capped the lipstick. "Let's go."

* * *

The party was already in full swing when Alicia and Angela arrived. When they walked through the door, Buck appeared out of no where and swept them both up in a bear hug. While they were both fighting for air, he cried out to no one, "It's Angela and Alicia Shepard! Your brother was here a few minutes ago. Said for me to tell y'all that he wouldn't be home tonight." 

Alicia smiled tightly and pulled out of his grasp. It was obvious he'd had more than a few drinks. "Thanks, Buck," she said, stiffly. Smoothing down her hair, she asked, "did he say _why_ he wasn't coming home?"

Buck thought for a moment. "Nope, just that he wasn't comin' home. He said that he'd be home tomorrow. Didn't say what time, though." He winked at them, then noticed that there was a drinking contest on the other side of the room, and ambled off.

"That's weird," Angela said. "Tim usually says why he's not comin' home. And he would've told us before he dropped us off."

Her sister nodded. "Tim's just been… weird lately." She frowned. "He's all quiet now."

"Yeah…" Angela trailed off. "But, c'mon, we aren't gonna letour dumbass older brother spoil our evening, are we?"

Alicia laughed and grabbed two beers. "Bottoms up," she said, and they both tilted their head back and took a gulp. Standing up straight, Alicia belched and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Angela grinned.

"Wanna have a contest?" she asked, cocking her dark eyebrow.

Her sister snorted. "You're on."

Angela's eyes glittered with the challenge, and she grabbed two more beers. Alicia responded with a raised eyebrow and pulled her wild black hair back into a ponytail. They clinked their drinks together, and flashed identical smirks. "One, two, three," Alicia counted, and they threw their heads back, and drained their bottles, finishing at the same time.

Angela belched and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Fuck you, I won," she said.

"Bullshit; we tied," her sister countered.

"Fine. We'll do it again."

Thirty minutes and three bottles later, neither Angela nor Alicia drained their drinks faster, and both of them were bombed out of their minds. They were both laughing stupidly and looking for something to do.

That was when Angela noticed a girl dancing on a tabletop. Grabbing Alicia by the arm, Angela hoisted both of them up onto another table. Alicia flung one of her arms around Angela's waist, and Angela put hers around Alicia's neck. They kicked their legs out, and Alicia began to sing the first verse of 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend.'

"The French are glad to die for love, they delight in fighting duels."

Angela joined in, "but I prefer a man who lives and gives expensive jewels."

"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl's best friend. A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat, or help you at the automat," they crowed in unison. "Men grow cold as girls grow old, and we all lose our charm in the end. But square cut or pear shaped these rocks don't lose their shape. Diamonds are a girl's best friend!"

By now, almost all the party was staring at them. Most of the boys were whooping and clapping and staring at Angela. Most of the girls were clinging to their boyfriends and whining and glaring at Angela. Neither of them cared. Alicia began the next verse.

"Tiffany's! Cartier! Black Starr! Frost Gorham! Talk to me, Harry Winston. Tell me all about it!"

Alicia's face was flushed, and she was laughing, and Angela was waving her arms wildly, and kicking out her legs. Neither of them had the breathy, Marilyn Monroe type voice, but they sounded all right. Some of the boys in the crowd threw a few coins at their feet, and Alicia hurried to collect them, while Angela continued to shake her ass and sing. It was going to be a great night, she could tell.

* * *

While Alicia and Angela were partying, Tim was sitting at home, watching TV. Curled up in his lap was Angela's cat, who Alicia and Curly had affectionately renamed Tar Baby, and she was purring loudly. He ran his hands over its head, making her purr even louder, and he didn't mind. The sound was soothing, and Tim's head began to droop. The television was blaring an old "I Love Lucy," episode, but he wasn't paying attention. 

A fly landed on his head, and Tim lifted a hand to swat it away. After the fly flew away, he ran his hand through his hair, and a thought struck him. Come May, all his hair would be gone. All of his thick blue-black hair that Dally said that he loved, it would all be gone. The thought terrified him. Not just that his hair would be gone, he could live without his hair, but everything would be gone. His home, his life, his gang. Curly. Angela. Alicia. Dallas. They would all be gone.

He scratched the cat behind the ears, and she raised her head to lick his hand. Tim remembered when Dally told him that he was like a cat. He laughed to himself, softly, and continued to stare at the television blankly. The cat continued to purr. Tim envied it. The cat didn't have to go off to fight or jump Socs for money or take care to its sisters and brother or break it off with someone you love because of mother fucking society.

At that moment, Tim realized that he had reached a new low: He was jealous of Angela's cat. He felt like crying. Getting to his feet shakily, Tim picked up the cat and began to walk to his room. The cat left black hair on his shirt, but he didn't care. He walked to his room and fell down on his bed. His head felt like it weighed one hundred pounds, and he was suddenly very tired. He curled up into a little ball in his bed, and closed his eyes. The cat meowed and laid down on the pillow next to his head. Its purr was soothing, and he soon was fast asleep.

A few hours later, Tim awoke when he heard the front door open and close, and he knew that his sisters were home, and drunk. Hearing them staggering around and laughing and crashing into stuff confirmed that idea. He hoped that Buck didn't tell them that he's said that he wasn't going to be home that night. Honestly, he didn't know why he'd told Buck to say that. He didn't mean it, and he knew that in the morning, there would be the Spanish Inquisition, with Alicia and Angela asking him all this shit and he just didn't want to talk to anyone anymore.

"Where's Tar Baby?" he heard Angela ask.

"Hell if I know. She's not my cat. Maybe she's in our room. Or Curly's."

He could hear Angela banging around, then he heard Angela's voice again. "She's not in our room, or Curly's."

"Maybe she's in Tim's. He ain't home, you can go in there."

If he'd been in the mood, Tim would have gotten out of bed and talked Alicia's ear off about getting into his stuff. Instead, he just closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep when his door opened quietly, and Angela came in. Gently, she lifted the cat off Tim's head, and he could hear her talking to it. "Come here, sweetie. Oh, you're so sweet." The door closed, and Tim could hear her and Alicia's muffled voices. "Tim's home," she whispered.

Alicia sounded confused. "But Buck said…"

"I know. Either Buck must've lied, or he was seriously shit-faced."

"Whatever. I'm tired. Let's just go to bed or watch T.V. or something." Tim noticed that Alicia really did sound tired. Her voice was hoarse and groggy. After a while, he heard their bedroom door close, and it was silent.

* * *

"Michelle, ma belle. These are words that go together well, my Michelle." 

Dally groaned and opened his left eye. There was nothing he hated more than when people sang in the morning. He hated it worse when he had a hangover, and he had a bad one this morning. Trying to ignore the buzzing in his head, he began to sit up. Soda's voice felt like it was being beaten into his head. He would have yelled at him to shut up, but he couldn't. He was too tired.

Then he heard an all-too-familiar voice coming from the kitchen. "Ew, that looks fucking nasty. Who eats that shit?" Dally's head fell back onto the pillow. It was Curly. Why the hell was he at the Curtis'? With every fiber of his being, he prayed that Tim wasn't with him. It would be just his luck.

"C'mon, Curly, it's just eggs." It was Two-Bit.

"Exactly. Eggs are fucking nasty."

"You want some?" That was Soda. Dally didn't know if he was talking to Curly or Two-Bit.

"No, thanks. I don't eat eggs." Whoever said that was female, and, judging by the voice, wasn't anyone Dally knew. She had a very soft voice, and sounded pleasant enough.

"Where's Ponyboy?" Curly again.

"I dunno. In his room, I think."

Dally heard Curly coming out of the kitchen, and he immediately feigned sleep. Opening his left eye a little, he could see that the girl was with him. "You can sit down, if you want," Curly said to her, gesturing to the armchair, as if it was his house. She nodded and sat down, and Curly made his way down the hall to Ponyboy's room. The girl just sat there, quietly and so still.

A few minutes later, Ponyboy and Curly emerged from his bedroom, and Curly took the girl's hand. "C'mon, Summer. We'd better get goin' before we wake Dally up."

"You already did," Dally mumbled, quietly enough that none of them heard.

As they began to walk out the front door, the girl looked over her shoulder, right at Dally. She regarded him carefully, a knowing look on her face.

* * *

"Don't you guys think this is wrong?" 

Alicia laughed as she pulled her long hair into a black hat, where it was completely hidden. "Nah, we're doin' them a favor."

Summer raised her eyebrows. "And what, prey tell, is the aforementioned favor?"

Curly looked confused for a moment, and Alicia knew that he didn't understand what his girlfriend just said. "We're just gettin' rid of all their extra money. Wanna help?"

Both Ponyboy and Summer shook their heads. "I don't fight. I'd rather watch," Summer answered.

"And I'd rather not jump Socs that didn't do anything to me," Ponyboy added, looking at Alicia and Curly.

Alicia shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said as she pulled one of Tim's black leather jacket over herself. "How do I look?" She was already wearing a pair of oversized, ripped and dirty jeans, a black shirt and black boots. With her hair pulled into a hat, she looked exactly like a boy.

Summer grinned. "Like a boy. You look like Curly, only smaller."

"Good. That's what I wanted."

"Why?" Ponyboy looked confused.

"'Cause then I won't have bunch of Socs on my trail later on. They'll think that it was some boy that jumped 'em, and they won't think about me. After all, I'm just Tim Shepard's little sister; they would never suspect me."

"They probably would, actually," Summer pointed out, and for a brief moment, Alicia thought that she and Ponyboy would make a good couple. What was it in Curly that she saw? "You've jumped them before. They might think it was you again."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Like they would remember me."

Her friend shrugged. "Okay, just don't blame me when you've got Socs on after you."

"I won't. And I won't get caught," Alicia declared. She grabbed the two baseball bats at her feet. "Come on, Curly."

Together, they stalked over to two Socs, one wearing a Letterman jacket, the other in a plaid shirt, who were standing alone in the open. There was no one else around. Alicia looked over at Curly and cocked an eyebrow. "Them?"

He nodded and grinned. "Yeah."

Alicia felt that familiar thrill rush through her as they approached the unaware boys. They weren't much bigger than Curly, so it wouldn't be hard to take them out. Alicia crept up behind the smaller one, the one in the Letterman jacket, and brought the bat down, hard. He crumpled and fell to his knees. A little blood trickled out from under his head. She looked over at Curly, and he was standing triumphantly over the one in plaid.

Ponyboy and Summer came out of hiding. Ponyboy looked pale, and Summer looked faintly ill. "So that's how you get your money nowadays, huh?" Summer said, faintly. She looked about ready to pass out.

"Yep," Curly answered, proudly. "What's wrong?"

"You just hit 'em and take their money?" Ponyboy asked, incredulously. "Isn't that like stealing?"

"No, cause it's for a good cause," Alicia said. Who stuck a stick up their asses? "It's not like they need the money. We do it all the time."

"Why don't you just get jobs?" Pony suggested, quietly.

"We don't want to. Angela has a job; that's good enough," Curly said, bluntly.

Alicia didn't understand why beating Socs' heads in and taking their money was bad. They'd always done it. It wasn't like they were hurting them.

"But you could _kill_ them," Summer said, sounding a little afraid.

"We don't him 'em hard enough to hurt 'em! Come on, it's fun!" Curly cried, brightly. "They jump us all the time! It's like getting revenge and money!"

"You sure get your jollies in weird ways," Summer said coldly. Then she sighed. "But it's not like I can stop you from doing it."

By now, Alicia was rummaging through the kids' pockets, until she found their wallets. Ten dollars in one, eight in the other. She laid the wallets next to the bodies, and stuffed the money in her pocket. She walked up to Summer and flung her arm around her shoulders. "You ought to try it sometime, doll face. It's fucking awesome, once you get into it. It's like survival of the fittest: jump or get jumped. Steal or get stolen from."

Ponyboy looked disgusted. "I'd better go, Curly, or Darry'll get mad. You know how he feels about you two," he gestured to Alicia and Curly. Darry thought Alicia was a whore and thought Curly was a bad influence. "Nice to meet you, Summer," he added, politely, then he began to walk away.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "I know he's your friend and all, Curly, but I think that kid's a twat. Him and his brothers, especially Darry." She shook her head.

* * *

**A/N:** _Yeah, I know that it sucked. It must blow more than an over-paid hooker to wait for so long and then get a shitty chapter. It was just so freaking hard to write this one. Don't ask why. Tomorrow I don't have school, and I'll try to get a lot done then, depending on how my schedule looks. Anyways, review please! _


	20. Chapter Twenty

Ponyboy threw the front door open to his house, careful not to do it too loud, if Dally was still asleep. He looked on the couch. The blonde teen was still asleep. No one else was home. Darry must have gone to work, and Soda was probably out with Steve. He began to walk down the hall to his room, when he heard Dally utter a low moan.

"Tim… Tim, oh, God!" Pony turned slowly and stared at Dally. The older boy was twitching and he arched his back and groaned, softly. Pony could barely make out anything he was saying, but the name was unmistakable: Tim. He covered his mouth. _Oh, God. _Tim and Dally. "Tim…" Dally whispered. He began to moan again, louder this time.

_Tim?_ Ponyboy wondered. Like Tim Shepard? He felt almost like laughing and crying at the same time. He wondered if Curly knew. After all, it was his big brother. Then again, Curly wasn't too bright, and probably wouldn't guess if anything was up if it slapped him in the face. But Dally and Tim. Jesus. What would happen if Curly found out? He thought about telling him, then decided against it. It was none of his business, after all. Pony began to retreat to his bedroom, leaving Dally in the throws of passion without disturbance. He would let Curly find out on his own, he decided. Besides, he'd learned from experience that getting involved with the Shepards wasn't a good idea.

* * *

Pony was standing in the lunch line at school the following Monday when Alicia Shepard came up to him, knocking a few kids out of the way to reach her destination. "Hey, Curtis, did Dallas Winston stay at your house on Saturday?"

He nodded. "Yeah, why?"

She tossed back her mass of black curls. "Did he talk much?"

Pony debated about telling her about Dally. In the end, he decided to. She probably knew anyway. Both she and Angela were a hell of a lot smarter than Curly. "Uh, not really, but he mentioned your brother."

Alicia's eyebrows shot up. "What'd he say?"

"Er, nothing, really but… he sort of had a dream about him. It was the day that you and Curly took me 'Soc hunting' and I came back home and he was asleep on my couch andhewasmoaningandcallingTim'snameandhadeawetdreamonmycouch. About Tim." He said all of this very fast.

For a moment she looked confused. Then it was like a revelation dawned, and she began to laugh. Her laugh was borderline frightening. "The fuck? Dallas had a wet dream about my brother? But he hates him!"

Pony was confused. "What? So are Dallas and your brother…" he cleared his throat.

"Fucking? They were. Oh, don't look all embarrassed about it; it's not weird. Come on outside, there's people around here and they'll hear us. Last thing I want is my reputation ruined. Angel skipped and Curly and Summer are somewhere, so I've got no one to hang out with."

"So am I your last resort?" he asked, a little put out that even he could be the last resort to a Shepard.

"I guess."

Together, they walked outside. It was cold, but the sun was shining. Alicia pulled her sweatshirt tighter around herself. "So, Dallas was, like, dreaming about Tim?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He was all moanin' and stuff."

Pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, Alicia frowned. "But Dally's mad at Tim," she said, more to herself. She lit one, and took a long drag. Blowing smoke out of her mouth, she gestured to him. "Want one?"

"Sure," he mumbled, and took one. Pony didn't really like Alicia, or her sister, Angela. From what he'd seen of her, Alicia was mean and loud, and he guessed that Angela was just the same. And he couldn't understand that she and Curly would smash Soc's skulls in just to take their money, and act like it was nothing. "So, did you know about Dally and Tim a while ago?" he asked.

She blew a stream of smoke out of her mouth. "Yep. While ago, I found them fucking on our living room floor." She figured that since Pony already knew, there was no problem telling him everything. If he threatened to tell anyone, she could just tell Curly to beat him up. "But then Tim broke it off. Dallas was real pissed about it. One time, we got drunk together and he tried to kiss me, cause he thought I was Tim. What a loser." She started to laugh again, and took another pull.

Pony stared at her. He thought it was sort of funny that she was so laid back about the whole ordeal. After all, it was her tough-as-nails older brother. "Don't you think it's weird, though, that Tim fucks guys? He's a fag. With Dallas."

She shrugged and raised her eyebrows. "So? It's none of my business what he does. As long as he doesn't embarrass me or Angel or Curly, I got no problem with it."

Again, Pony was surprised. This was the chick that nailed some Soc over the head with a fucking baseball bat and didn't think there was any harm in it, and here she was, defending her gay older brother. He would have assumed she would be stark raving mad about it, but she was calm and cool. "I thought you'd've been mad about it," he said, quietly.

Alicia shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess everyone would think that." She grinned, and laughed a bit. "I guess I sort of give that impression, don't I?"

He nodded. "Yeah you do."

She laughed, then became serious. "Don't tell _anyone_ about this, all right? Or I'll hit _you_ over the head with a bat and take your money. Right?" She raised her dark eyebrows, and Ponyboy could suddenly understand why Dallas had mistaken her for Tim. Their faces were exactly the same when they were angry. Her black eyes flashed just like her brother's did, and Ponyboy suddenly felt very small, even though he was about five inches taller than she.

"Okay, okay. I won't tell no one," he said, quickly.

She grinned. "Good."

As Alicia walked away, Ponyboy's opinion of her changed a little. She was still loud and rude, but he knew that she was smart and she was a good fighter and she cared about her brother. He respected her. But he didn't have to like her.

* * *

"Dallas, there's something I've gotta tell you. I'm leaving for Vietnam, and I want to get back with you. See, I broke it off because it wasn't sure how to tell you and now I want to get back with you… no, fuck, no! That sounds like bullshit!" Tim punched the wall and fell down onto his bed, startling Tar Baby, who had been asleep on his pillow. He laid his arm over his eyes. "He'll never talk to me again," Tim muttered. "He hates me."

There was a knock on the door, and Tim stood to answer it. Standing in the doorway was Nini, looking gorgeous as always, wearing a dark blue sweater and jeans. "Hey, Tim," she said, and smiled.

Tim couldn't help but smile. Honestly, he liked Nini, and she was good to keep his mind off Dally. "Hey. What're you doing over here?"

"Just stopped by to talk to you before work. And seein' if yer sister's workin' today."

"Nope, it's Angela's day off. She's probably off somewhere," Tim said.

Nini ran her hands through her long, luxurious gold hair. "Damnit," she said, the shrugged. "Oh, well. Maybe we can do somethin' after I get off. See ya 'round." As she began to walk away, Tim grabbed her arm.

"Wait, I'll walk with you," he offered, and smiled.

She returned it. "Okay," she replied, and took his hand.

As they wandered down the road, Tim wished that someone he knew would pass by and see him with Nini. Not only because she was beautiful, but as if to prove that there was nothing wrong with him. Even if no one knew that he and Dallas had that fling, he didn't want anyone to get that idea. And as much as he wanted to march up to Dallas and tell him that it had all been some big mistake, he couldn't. It would be too embarrassing, and he wanted to salvage any shred of dignity he had left.

"So why did you guys get an apartment?" Nini's voice brought Tim back to Earth.

"'Cause our parents were splittin' up, and we didn't want to be separated," Tim answered.

Nini was silent for a moment, then said, "that's pretty sweet."

"What is?"

"That you like your brother and sisters enough to buy a new house just to not get separated. That's real sweet."

Tim thought for a moment. It honestly was pretty sweet. And it was true. As much of a pain in the ass Angela and Alicia and Curly were, he didn't want to leave them. "Thanks. No one's ever called me sweet before."

Nini snorted. "Bullshit. I'll bet thousands of girls have before. You just don't remember."

It was probably true, Tim decided. He had dated thousands- well, not thousands, but a lot- of girls, and when he wanted to be, he could be the sweetest greaser on the East Side. "You're probably right," he mumbled, and Nini laughed.

"'Course I'm right. I'm always right."

They had arrived at the café now, and Nini smiled at him. "See ya later, Tim. Come by 'round eight. That's when I get off." Then she kissed him on the cheek softly, and walked inside. Tim stared after her, touched the place she kissed, and trudged off to work on his makeup speech to Dallas. Maybe, one day, he would gather up the courage to face him.

* * *

Tim was just lying on the couch when Alicia and Angela burst in. Their faces were flushed and pink from cold, and their eyes were bright. They were laughing. Alicia was the first to speak. "We got some more money, Tim. Twenty bucks. Twenty bucks, can you fuckin' believe it?" She pulled the twenty-dollar bill out of her coat pocket, and waved it in the air like a prize winner.

"Yeah, we clubbed that kid good. You should've been there, it was one hell of a fight," Angela commented, and she took off her black hat, releasing her long, dark hair.

"What happened?" Tim asked.

Angela was about to speak, but Alicia cut her off. "So I had the baseball bat, ya know? And Angie spots this one Soc, a big-ass one, like the biggest Curtis. That big. So, anyways, I've got the baseball bat, and I nail 'im over the head, and it sounds like my bat's beein' splintered, but it ain't. And then I-"

Her sister interrupted. "No, then you turned around as he starts turning around, and I'm in the alley and I say, 'Ali, look out!' and then you turned around."

"Whatever. Then he starts comin' after me, and I'm freakin' out, cause this is one big son of a bitch. And he's comin' after me, and I take the bat and hit him _smack_ on the face. 'Bout broke his nose. Look at the bat," she said, and pointed. Tim looked. There was a rust colored smear on it. "But I got him in the end!" she finished, proudly. "And he had twenty bucks!"

Tim rolled his eyes, and focused his attention on the television. "That's nice," he mumbled. His mind was still on his date with Nini.

As if she were reading his mind, Angela flopped down next to him and said, "We saw Nini a few minutes ago. She said that you two were goin' out tonight."

He nodded, wordlessly.

"So, have you slept with her yet?" Angela asked.

"No," Tim said. He was so used to these questions that they weren't even embarrassing anymore.

"She's a pretty easy lay," Angela went on. "Not that I would know or nothin'. I ain't no lesbian."

Alicia snorted. "Whatever, Ang. C'mon, we're gonna be late for the movie. It starts at seven."

"Right. See ya, Timmy. We'll be home soon." Angela buttoned up her coat, blew Tim a kiss and sashayed out the door with Alicia right behind her.

* * *

Alicia lit a cigarette the moment they stepped out of the building. "Where's your boyfriend?" she asked Angela. The smoke curled up above their heads.

Angela shrugged. "Dunno. Where's yours?"

"Out of town. With his family."

Angela smiled, almost fondly. "He sounds sweet," she said.

Alicia returned the smile. "He is. I love him."

Her sister snorted. "_Love._ Love is stupid, Alicat. It only gets you into trouble."

Alicia smacked her arm. "Cynic," she laughed. "But I'm serious. He's so nice. Lot better than the bums we usually date."

"Bums and louses. That's all we'll get," Angela said, a note of bitterness creeping into her voice. "That's all we're good for. That's all greasers _are_."

"Nah, Ang. What about that Sodapop? Now _he's_ a good guy. Not like his brother."

"Which one?"

"Darryl. He's too stuck-up. Sodapop's sweet. He knows how to treat a lady."

"A lady you are not, Ali."

Alicia snorted. "'S not like you are, either, Miss Angela-I'm-Gonna-Sleep-With-Every-Available-Male-And-Not-So-Available-Male-On-The-East-Side-Before-I-Hit-Sixteen-Shepard."

Angela shrugged. "Girl's got to have her priorities," she said, and they both laughed.

They were now at the corner of Pickett and Sutton. The sky was beginning to darken, and Angela shivered. "Let's walk faster," she said. Her teeth were chattering.

Alicia nodded and shuddered. "It's fuckin' freezing."

Their pace quickened, and they were almost running, when a voice behind them called, "hey, Shepard!" It was Dallas Winston.

"Speaking of bums and louses," Alicia said under her breath. She turned around and, in a bitter voice, replied, "Which one?" Angela rolled her eyes.

Dally caught up with them. His face was flushed. "What's your brother doin' tonight?"

"Which one?" Alicia repeated. "I have two brothers, ya know."

"Which do you _think_, smartass? Tim."

Angela hit Alicia's arm. "He's goin' on a date," she answered. It was cold, and Alicia was just making it worse by making the conversation longer. She didn't want to stand outside any longer.

Dally cursed under his breath. "With who?"

"Why do you care? Ya'll're made at each other," Alicia snapped.

Again, Angela hit her arm. "Nini Chapman."

It looked like someone smacked Dallas in the face. "Nini Chapman? The British broad? Is he goin' out with her?"

Angela nodded, eager to get away. "Yeah, but they haven't slept together yet," she answered, wondering if that had something to do with it.

Dallas stared at them, his icy eyes smoldering. Then, it was like he snapped out of a trance, he cursed under his breath again. "Where are they goin'?"

Alicia shrugged. "I don't know. I ain't his keeper. Why don't you ask him yourself?" She met Dally's blazing eyes with her own eyes, daringly. "He's right at home, you can just go up there yourself."

He glared daggers at her. She cocked an eyebrow. "Go on, don't be a puss. He's just at home, probably asleep. You can go see him right now."

Angela pulled on Alicia's arm. "C'mon, Ali, let's go. We're gonna be late." Her voice was board-line whining, and a desperate edge was creeping in. Alicia glared at Dally one last time before allowing herself to be pulled away.

* * *

Dally stared after their retreating forms and swore loudly. _God damn Tim_, he thought to himself. He was gonna kick his ass. Leaning up against a wall, he lit a cigarette and pondered the best way to do this. A moment later, he heard footsteps behind him, and a quiet voice said, "hey, Dal." It was Johnny. The dark haired boy leaned against the wall next to him.

Dally half-smiled. "Hey, Johnny. What's goin' on?"

"Nothin'. Was that the Shepards?" He pointed at Angela and Alicia's backs.

"Yeah," Dally muttered.

"Were y'all talkin' to them?"

Dally answered, if a nod constituted as a response.

"It was 'bout Tim wasn't it?" Johnny said quietly. His black eyes were big and round.

Dally's head jerked around and looked at Johnny, who tensed. "Fuck no," he snapped. "What the fuck are you talkin' about?"

Johnny looked at the ground. "Sorry, Dal. It's just that y'all haven't been talkin', and I thought y'all were havin' a fight and I figured that you were talkin' to his sisters about him or somethin'. Sorry," he answered in a rush.

Dally sighed, as if defeated. God damn Alicia, too. She knew, and he knew that she enjoyed the small power that she had over him. "Yeah, it was about Tim," he muttered. "Just about this stupid thing he did and I guess y'all could say that we're fightin'."

"What'd he do?" Johnny asked. He knew that he was treading on thin ice, but he wanted to know what was up with Dally. However, he had a vague idea.

"Nothin'. It's just a stupid fight," Dally said quietly.

"You're in love with him." Johnny said it so quietly that Dally could barely make it out. When it finally registered what Johnny said, Dally raised his hand as if to strike the smaller boy, and Johnny winced.

But Dally's hand fell, and he groaned. "Oh, Jesus, Johnnycake, what the fuck am I gonna do?" Dally let himself slide down the wall, and sat on the ground. He leaned his head back against the wall and ran his hand through his hair.

Johnny sat down next to him. "You are, aren't you?"

Miserably, Dally nodded. "Yeah."

Johnny looked at him, sympathetically, then said, softly, "don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

Dally smiled, sadly. "Thanks, Johnny. You're a good kid."

* * *

**A/N:** _Aw, thanks for all the nice reviews, guys, even though that last chapter was shit. You really make me feel all happy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. _

_Next up: Tim and Nini's date and… **A TIM/DALLY CONFRONTATION OMG!** Anyways, please review. _


	21. Chapter Twenty one

**A/N:** _Aw, thanks for the nice reviews, guys. I really appreciate it. And, a very special shout-out to Hahukum Konn and Rainia NyteWolf for the fastest reviews I have gotten **ever**. (Seriously, two reviews in under twenty minutes really made my day. Well, night, considering it was, like two in the morning. BTW, Rainia, I really hope that you continue your D/T fic. It is teh awesome.) You guys rock! And, the moment y'all have been waiting for… **THE TIM/DALLY CONFRONTATION, ZOMG! **_

* * *

"Alicia, why couldn't you have stayed calm for once? You didn't have to drag that conversation with Winston out forever!" Angela whined. "He just wanted to see Tim, you know that. I don't see what your problem is!"

Alicia shrugged. "I just don't see why he's too much of a pussy to talk to Tim face-to-face."

Angela rolled her eyes. "He's not, stupid. Why do you think he asked where Tim _was_? Not just out of curiosity, that's for damn sure. I'll bet Dallas feels real bad about the whole deal."

Alicia snorted. "And I'll bet Tim doesn't give a flying fuck about it. He's been with three other people since their fall out."

"Three people and then some," Angela muttered. "But Tim's being such a jackass about it. I almost feel sorry for Dallas." When Alicia stared at her, Angela repeated, "_almost_."

* * *

Johnny and Dallas made their way down the street, going nowhere in particular. Dally was venting to Johnny, who was listening quietly, occasionally interjected a 'no way,' and 'shit!' "And I guess Tim's havin' a ball with everyone with legs. Or at least that's what his sister said."

Johnny patted Dally's arm, comfortingly. "You know the Shepards. They're all full of shit."

Dally sighed and let his head hang down. After so much pent-up emotion, it felt good to talk to Johnny. Johnny was nice and understood him. "Yeah, I know. It's just so fucking true. That's something Tim would do."

Smiling sympathetically, Johnny said, "have you talked to him, yet?"

"What, are you fuckin' insane? I've got a reputation, Johnnycake. I ain't gonna go and spoil it 'cause a fucking Tim Shepard. What do ya expect me to do, buy him some flowers and say, 'take me back, please'?"

Johnny almost grinned, but covered it. "It couldn't hurt."

"C'mon, Johnny, Tim's not some stupid chick." Dally was getting worked up. His pale face was going red, and he looked close to tears.

"Aw, c'mon, Dal. Here, let's go in here and warm up a bit. I'll even buy ya a Coke." Johnny stopped walking in front of a café. He'd never been inside, and had always wanted to. Dally was too miserable to refuse, and allowed Johnny to lead him inside.

They sidled into a booth, and a moment later, a waitress glided up to them. Dally didn't even look up. But Johnny did, and he suddenly, deeply regretted taking Dally inside. "Hey, welcome to Max's and blah, blah, blah. My name's Nini and I'll be your server, what can I getcha?"

Now Dally's head snapped up, and he glared at Nini, as if it were her fault about what was happening. Nini looked surprised and a little angry. Johnny decided to order, before the scene got ugly. "Uh, we'll have two Cokes, please," he said.

Nini half-smiled at him. "Is that all?"

Johnny nodded, hurriedly. "Yeah, thanks."

When Nini turned away, Dally looked like he wanted to simultaneously throw up and cry. He began to stand. "Sorry, Johnny, but I've gotta go. I'm… I'm gonna go to Buck's."

Johnny grabbed Dally's arm. "Siddown, Dal. I'm buyin' you a Coke." It wasn't like Johnny to be so forceful, and Dally was sort of amazed, but he sat down and waited with him.

"What the fuck's wrong with you, Johnny?"

"I… I just don't want to see you drink yourself into next week just 'cause of Tim."

Dally smiled, sadly. "Thanks, Johnny. I mean it. You're a pretty cool kid."

* * *

Tim stared at the ceiling. He half wanted it to just drop onto his fucking head and hopefully kill him. Or at least put him in critical condition. Tar Baby was curled up next to his head and purring. "This is bullshit," he said. "Total bullshit." The cat meowed quietly, and Tim smiled half-heartedly at her, before running his hands through his hair.

Sitting up, he looked at the clock on his wall. It read 7:35. His date with Nini was in twenty-five minutes. That still gave him time to shower and possibly change into some clean clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, Tim was staring at himself in the mirror, trying to do something with his hair. There was a giant knot in it, and he couldn't find his fucking comb. After desperately trying to rip the pieces of hair apart, he opted to use Curly's comb instead.

"Curly!" he barked. "Curly! I need to use your fucking comb! Where is it?"

There was no answer. Tim tried again. "Curly! I need your comb! Where the hell are you?"

He barged out of the bathroom, wearing a black T-shirt, jeans and boots and furiously trying to pull his hair apart. He knew that Curly was home with his new girlfriend because he heard them open the front door when he was in the shower.

Curly's bedroom door was closed, and he could hear Curly's laugh and a girl's voice from inside. Tim decided he would risk knocking, hoping that his brother and girlfriend weren't having sex inside. Curly's laughter stopped abruptly and he shouted, "what?"

"I need your comb! Where is it?"

He heard Curly groan a little bit and then the door opened. Curly was fully dressed and didn't even look flushed. His pale girlfriend was sitting cross-legged on his bed with her elbows resting on her knees, palms pressed together. She half-smiled at Tim. It looked like they'd been talking. Tim was surprised. He didn't think Curly even talked to his girlfriends.

"What do you want?" Curly asked.

"Your comb, for the fourth time. Where the fuck is it?"

Curly looked taken aback. "Uh, it's in me and the girls' bathroom. We don't share a bathroom anymore, remember?"

Tim faltered. "Oh. Can I use it?"

"Yes."

"Thanks," Tim mumbled, and began to walk away, feeling stupid. He kept forgetting that he had his own bathroom and that he didn't have to share with Curly. After a moment of tearing Curly's comb through his hair, the knot was finally gone, and he grabbed his leather jacket and left.

* * *

Curly liked how long and straight Summer's hair was and how it looked so nice against her pale skin and red lips. She looked like Snow White. He liked how easy she was to talk to, even if she did tend to ramble off on a subject. He rarely listened to what she said; he just liked to hear her voice. It was so soft and breathy compared to Alicia's screechy, shrill one and Angela's husky, croaky one.

"So how's your brother?" Summer asked.

"Tim? Same. Why?"

"What about him and Dallas?"

"Winston? I don't know. Why?"

She pursed her thin lips together. "Alicia told be about their… affair. How's Tim feel about it? I don't mean to pry," she added quickly. "But maybe that's why he's so quick to yell nowadays and why he's gone so often and why he doesn't talk very much anymore and why he sleeps so much."

Curly stared at her. It was obvious that he hadn't been paying attention to anything she'd been saying. "Uh… I have no fucking idea." He reached out and took her hand, liking how smooth and pale it was between his rough, dark ones.

She jerked it out of his grasp quickly. "Seriously, Curly, this is your _brother_, not some random person living with you. Don't you even care about him?"

Curly shrugged. "I guess. I mean, he is acting weird. And…" he searched for the right words, hopefully big ones that would make her satisfied. "I guess his recent behavior disturbs me."

Summer laughed a little, and Curly sensed that she was dropping the subject and took her hand. She didn't pull it away.

A curl fell onto his forehead, and she reached up with her free hand and brushed it away. He caught her other hand and their eyes met. He liked how dark and mysterious her eyes were, and she liked how open and blue his were. A small smile played across her lips, and a half-grin ghosted his.

* * *

Alicia couldn't feel her fingers or ears when they reached the theater. Angela couldn't feel her legs. "This is all your fault," she grumbled. "If you wouldn't have wanted to see Winston, we could've been warm. But I can't feel my fucking lower body."

"Aw, dry up, Angel. At least we're here in one piece," Alicia said good-naturedly. "And we aren't frostbitten."

Angela rolled her eyes and rubbed her thighs a little. "I still can't feel my fucking legs."

But Alicia wasn't paying attention to Angela's whines. Instead she was staring straight ahead at four small Socs standing a few feet away. They were laughing at something one of them said and didn't notice the two girls. She could see bulging wallets in their back pockets and her eyes lit up like a tiger's. "Shh, shh, Ang! Shut up!"

Angela glared at her sister. "What?"

"Look at them. Think we can knock 'em out and take their money?"

"Barehanded? Are you an idiot? No. Even if I wasn't half-frozen we couldn't do it."

Alicia licked her thin lips. "I think I could. I mean, I'm about a big as them."

"Yeah, but there's four of them and one of you. And, before you even ask, no, I am _not_ gonna be used as bait this time. Sorry, but that's just stupid. Like something Curly would do."

"Fuck you, I'll do it," Alicia snapped and began to creep forward. Quickly, she pulled her long hair back and knotted it, before latching her arms firmly around one of the Soc's necks. Trying to remember what Tim had taught her, she pulled his head back, quickly. In doing so, the back of his head slammed into her nose.

Blood began to drip from it, and she dropped the boy. _Shit_. The other three stared at Alicia, and she laughed a bit, before sprinting away. She could hear them chasing her and she kept running. A moment later, she heard Angela's voice shouting something. She made it out to be."Told you it was stupid!"

* * *

Tim ran a hand through his well-combed and grease-free hair before pushing open the door. The moment he saw who was inside, he had the fleeting desire to be back in bed, possibly with Angela's cat.

Luckily, Dallas had his back to him, but the little black-haired kid he hung out with so much looked up at him. Tim turned his head quickly. He looked at the clock. 7:54. He decided to go back outside and light up. As fast as he could, he turned around and began to head outside when he heard a loud voice behind him. "Tim! Hey, Tim! Come here!"

Tim froze, knowing that Dally heard Nini. He turned around slowly and smiled tightly at her. "Hey," he said.

Nini flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Hey," she breathed into his ear. Pulling away, she flashed him a dazzling smile and tossed back her hair. He noticed that she had already changed back into her blue sweater and jeans. "How are ya?" she asked.

Tim could feel Dally's eyes on the back of his head. He ran his hand through his hair again. "All right. You?"

She smiled again. Tim marveled at how pretty she was. "I'm fine."

"Ready?"

She nodded. "Let's get the fuck outta here."

"You gotta coat?" Tim asked.

She shook her head. "Nope, don't wear 'em"

Tim paused. "Don't you get cold though?"

Again, Nini shook her head. "No."

"Here, take mine," Tim said, taking off his leather jacket.

"No, really, it's okay," Nini laughed. "I don't need one, I swear."

"No, really, take it," he insisted and draped it over her shoulders. Pulling her hair out from under the collar, Tim smiled at Nini and totally forgot about Dallas sitting a few feet away. Nini returned the smile and slipped her hand into his.

He didn't pull away. Instead, Tim led Nini to the door and they walked out, hand-in-hand.

* * *

The color in Dally's face rose and for the second time taking, Johnny regretted taking him into the café. He should have known that when they saw Nini they should have gotten the hell out. "I'm so sorry, Dal. This was all my fault. It really was," Johnny began.

"No, kid, it was mine. I shouldn't have been so _fucking_ stupid to get involved with Tim in the first place. You've gotta be a fool to even get involved with the Shepards. I mean, look at Angela. She fucking eats guys alive. And then Tim…" he trailed off, and Johnny could see both Dally's face and eyes getting red.

"C'mon, Dal, just finish your Coke, then we'll go," Johnny said, quietly.

But abruptly, Dally stood up. He nodded at Johnny and stormed out, almost knocking over Curly Shepard and his girlfriend who were entering. Dallas shot Curly a death-glare before barreling on.

"Hey Cade! What the fuck's up with Winston?" Curly asked. He took his hand from Summer's and sat down across from Johnny. Summer sat down next to him.

Johnny shrugged. He figured if Curly didn't know about Tim and Dallas, which he probably didn't, he wasn't going to tell him. "Dunno. He just left."

"We saw Tim leaving with Nini. Maybe they- Tim and Dally- had another… fall out," Summer said, to Curly. Then she turned to Johnny. "Did they?"

Johnny debated about telling them. It was obvious that Curly's girlfriend knew about -or had a very good idea about- Tim and Dallas. So it wouldn't be like he was telling her anything that would make Dallas have a total conniption. But if she didn't know, even though that was highly unlikely, he would be giving away terrible information about Dallas. "He saw Tim with Nini and got pissed," Johnny said.

"Why? I mean, it's a free country. Tim can go out with who ever he wants. Dallas can't do shit about it," said Summer.

"Because he's in love with Tim. That's what pissed him off." Realizing what he just said, Johnny clapped a hand over his mouth, stricken. "No, no, no, forget that I said anything! I didn't say anything."

Summer raised her eyebrows. "What? Slow down there, man. You did say something."

Johnny swallowed. "Look, Dallas told me that he and Tim were… you know?"

Summer nodded. "I know."

"And he basically told me that he was in love with Tim and then Tim came in, but Dally didn't see him, and then Nini came up and hugged him and Dallas saw and it turned out that they were going out and Tim gave her his jacket and they were holding hands and it's just a big mess."

As if he just got into the conversation, Curly said, "my brother's in love with fuckin' _Dallas Winston_?"

Summer nodded. "Yep. You knew it Curly, don't pretend that you didn't."

Curly shrugged. "I knew, I just didn't wanna believe it. But... shit."

Summer smiled, sympathetically and put her hand over his. "Don't worry about it, Curly. It's all right. Tim's not stupid; he won't announce it to all the world."

He snorted. "Yeah, right. I hope not."

* * *

Tim liked how Nini smelled. She smelled like a mix of smoke and soap. It was a lot better than most girls' fake, flowery scents that made him gag. He liked how she didn't wear lipstick that stuck to her teeth and his face and wherever else her mouth found when they kissed.

They stumbled into his bedroom and Nini shoved him on the bed. He liked how straightforward she was. Nini was blunt and honest and she didn't play games. She didn't just lay back and let his take over. She was aggressive and didn't make those mewling noises that drove Tim batshit insane. As she bit down on his left ear and he furiously tried to pull off his shirt, he decided that if he liked girls, he would definitely like Nini.

_No, _he thought. _I _do_ like girls. That thing with Dally was just a fling or something. Totally experimental_.

His shirt fell to the ground about the same time Nini's sweater did and she captured his mouth in hers a second later. Tim had a fleeting memory back to Cassie, and he rememberedto call her later.

When Nini started to undo his belt buckle, Tim realized that this felt all wrong. He liked Nini, but this just didn't feel right. Gently, he pushed her hands away. "I-I can't do this," he muttered.

Nini looked surprised, and she brushed her hair out of her face. "What's wrong?"

Tim suddenly felt like laughing. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm just a fuckin' stupid asshole and I need to go fix something."

Nini glared at him. "So that's it, huh? You're just walkin' out on me?"

Tim shook his head. "No." He took Nini's hand, expecting her to yank it away. When she didn't, he gently squeezed it. "Look, I like you, Nini. A lot. It's just... there's someone else. Sort of. And, as much as I like you, I just can't do anything with you."

"Who's the other person?" she asked, sulkily.

Tim bit the inside of his lip. "I can't tell you. But, I swear to God, I wish I could." He ran his thumb over her knuckles, something he remembered Dally did. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Now Nini pulled her hand away. "Ya know, I should stop spendin' my time with assholes like you," she snapped. Tossing back her mass of gold hair, she glared at Tim and let out a long string of curse words. Then she glared at him and said, "you know, I really liked you. And now I've realized that you're just another loser that I wasted my time with."

Tim simply grinned at her, lit a cigarette and said, "the feeling's mutual, Nini m'dear."

* * *

Tim sat on his bed for a while longer and smoked while running his speech for Dallas over and over in his head. He decided that he would just spit it all out and then beg for forgiveness. Hopefully that would work. And hopefully he would see Dallas before too long before he totally chickened out.

He got dressed and ran outside. It was snowing and he rubbed his upper arms in a vain attempt to keep warm before heading off to Buck's. Dallas was bound to be there.

Dallas _was_ at Buck's and exiting just when Tim ran up to the front door. Tim took a deep breath and managed to quickly flash Dally a quick almost-smile before blurting out, "look, Dal, I gotta talk to you."

Dally looked particularly pissed off, so Tim decided to tread warily. "I need to talk to you," he repeated, softly.

The blonde raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Just listen, okay? See, you know the whole war thing? And you know how I'm eighteen? See, I got drafted and I didn't know how to tell you so I-I panicked and Cassie told me to just break it off and I panicked and I just decided to do it and then Alicia keeps saying to get back with you and I panicked and now I'm here and…" Tim sighed.

Dally nodded. "Yeah." Then he laughed. And with one swift movement, he pulled his arm back and punched Tim in the face as hard as he could.

Tim staggered back as he felt his nose break under Dally's fist and then warm blood seeped over his face and into his mouth. He spat, a mixture of blood and saliva. "Shit. Jesus Christ. _Fuck_," he muttered.

Dally nodded a second time. "That's for everything," he said in a business-like manner before flipping up the collar of his leather jacket and walking away.

Wiping the blood off his face, Tim stared after him. The scarlet drops of blood dripped onto the snow, making little red spots in the whiteness. Tim felt tears prick at his eyes and he didn't know if it was the pain slowly spreading all over his face and body, or the fact that Dallas might never forgive him.

* * *

**A/N:** _Woo, it's Christmas! And this is my gift to all of you! I hope you liked it. And, yes, I know that the Tim/Dallas confrontation was uber short, but there's one in the next chapter. Happy holidays, everyone! –Throws confetti- _


	22. Chapter Twenty two

**A/N:** _Gah! I am so sorry this took so long! It's been almost a month! I've had homework and projects and exams and shit dumped on me at the last minute and… yeah. .:Hugs all her readers and reviewers:. But thanks for the reviews, ya'll! I love you all so much._

* * *

Alicia slumped down against a wall in an alley, glad that she finally lost the Socs. Blood was gushing down her face and dripping onto her lap. _Shit_, she thought. _I hope my nose isn't broken_._ Fuck; I think it is._ She wiped most of the blood off her face and was about to stand up when she heard footsteps. For a moment, she thought the Socs found her, and she curled up as small as possible and covered her head with her hands. 

The footsteps were much lighter than a boys' and a foot gently nudged her arm. "Alicat, get up. We're going home. I think that Soc broke your nose."

It was Angela. Alicia stood up gratefully and Angela took her arm. Pinching her nose with her thumb and index finger to stop the blood from gushing over her face even more she said, "Thanks, Angel. I woulda just sad there all my life if you wouldn'da come. Thad was preddy stupid of me, wasn't it?"

Angela rolled her eyes and nodded. "Really stupid. I doubt even Curly would have done that."

Alicia laughed. "You'd be surprised. Now let's ged the fuck out of here or blood'll freeze on my face."

They walked to the apartment building as fast as they could, stopping frequently so Alicia could wipe blood off herself. Snow began to fall thick and fast and Alicia could almost feel it freezing on her face.

Opening the door, they could see Tim sitting on the couch with an icepack on his neck and tissue shoved up his nose. His nostrils were red and he lifted his hand to them to see if they were still bleeding.

Angela looked from her sister to her brother, then back to her sister. Then she burst into peals of laughter.

Tim glared. "Whad?" he asked.

She put a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. "Sorry. How'd you break your nose?"

"Id's nod broken," Tim mumbled.

"Yes it is. It's gone all crooked," Angela said. "What happened?"

Tim wiped his nose again. "Dallas," he said.

"Did you piss him off?" Angela asked.

Tim rolled his eyes at her. "No, stupid, he punched me 'cause he was happy. _Yes,_ I pissed him off."

"'Bout what?"

"Nothing."

"So he just punched you?"

"Go away," Tim snapped.

Alicia had had enough. "Angel, c'mon. Let's go. I need ice or something or I'll lose so much blood that I'll die or something," she said quietly.

Tim snorted. "You wond die, Ali," he said.

"Well, whadever. I just need ice," Alicia snapped before stalking out of the room.

"Whad happened to her?" Tim asked.

Angela bit her lower lip to keep from laughing again. "She got jumped."

Tim's eyes widened and he leapt to his feet. "Who did it? Whaddid they look like? Where the fuck's my jacket? I swear to God, Angel, they're gonna pay-"

"Tim, Tim, chill, okay? Alicia jumped them first. Or-" Angela chuckled- "she tried to. There were four of them and one of her. She got her arms around one of their necks and then his head slammed into her face and broke her nose. Then she ran. And that's all the happened, I swear. So you don't need to go beating up random people because Alicia was stupid. Don't piss your pants."

"Did you help her?"

"What?"

"Did you help her fight?" Tim repeated.

"What? No, no I didn't."

"Why not?" Tim asked. His voice was becoming dangerously cool.

"Because it was stupid. I didn't wanna get beaten up either," she said.

"You shoulda helped her."

"Why?" Angela snapped. "She was the one being stupid, not me."

"She's got a point, Tim." Alicia was back. She had an icepack on her neck, but her nose had stopped bleeding. "She didn't need to help me. And I realize that I was being stupid. Fucking stupid."

Angela nodded. "Right. You were fucking stupid. She was fucking stupid."

* * *

A few hours later, Alicia was dead to the world in her and Angela's bedroom, Angela was out, Curly was somewhere, and Tim was laying down on the couch, watching some terrible game show on TV. The show had the most obnoxious host ever and he was giving Tim a headache. Even so, he didn't want to get up. He was still turning the night over in his mind. 

He expected to hate Dallas after he broke Tim's nose. He _wanted_ to hate him. He would have given anything to hate Dallas and to get him out of his mind and not feel anything towards him but pure, raw, unadulterated loathing.

And it hurt because he couldn't. Tim knew that he could never hate Dally, no matter how hard he tried. Because he loved Dally, even though he would never admit it to anyone but himself. And even now, he would hardly admit it to even himself.

He knew that he was being stupid. He could just march up to Dally and tell him the truth: that he loved him and wanted to be back with him and forget everything. But he couldn't. Tim was a "run away, hit the road, don't commit" person. Instead of confronting his demons, he crept away from them, very quietly.

* * *

Dallas wiped the blood off his knuckles. There was still the faintest trace of a rusty smear on them. He sighed and spat in the snow before turning the corner. Why did he have to be so goddamned quick tempered? Sure, after Tim broke it off, he wanted to punch his face off, but even after he apologized, Dally did what he always did: resorted to violence. Tim would hate him. 

He felt like dying.

* * *

Tim was still lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, when Alicia woke up an hour later. She rubbed her eyes and wandered into the small kitchen. "What're you doing?" she asked. Tim could hear the sounds of plates and silverware clattering, the refrigerator being opened and a glass being slammed down. 

"Wondering about the best way to commit suicide," Tim said, lightly.

Alicia emerged from the kitchen with a plate and a glass of Coke in her hands. On the plate was a sandwich, potato chips and a few pills; Tim noticed that they were painkillers. "Don't be a jackass, Tim," she scoffed. "Only losers commit suicide." She put all the pills in her mouth at once and swallowed them with a gulp of Coke. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she added, "besides, if you killed yourself, who would take care of us?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "I ain't gonna kill myself, Ali. Don't piss your pants."

She picked up her sandwich and took a bite. "Wasn't gonna," she said with her mouth full. "But you shouldn't talk like that, or else me and Ang are gonna put you in the mental home. You know, for all those wackjobs and shit."

Alicia noticed that Tim almost smiled at this, so she pressed on. "I mean, ya'll don't wanna go there, do you? With the white walls and white sheets and white jackets and white shit. Everyone knows that monochrome is so fucking boring that you get sick. And you can't wear any color other than white. And pretty soon your skin turns white and pasty from lack of sunlight."

"Like Curly's girlfriend?" Tim asked.

She nodded. "But whiter. And then you're just a big, white, crazy, suicidal blob," Alicia finished and took another bite of sandwich.

"And then I die?" Tim added, amused.

"No. Then you kill yourself. _Then_ you die. A slow, painful death."

Tim laughed for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Dally didn't really know how he found himself being slammed against the wall in some smelly and dark alley by some blonde kid that looked familiar but Dally didn't know where he'd seen him. The kid had blue eyes and shaggy hair and he must have been a greaser by the way he dressed. Dally thought the kid must have- at some point- said that his name was Mike or Mark or something; it didn't matter. (Dally didn't give him his name because he figured the kid was so hammered that he didn't recognize him anyway.) All that mattered was that this kid had eyes sort of like Tim's and kissed sort of like Tim and was built sort of like Tim. 

That was why Dally was pressed against a wall by this kid. Because he reminded him of Tim, in a crazy, unlikely way. Mike's hands were tangled in Dally's hair and their lips met with urgency. Dally didn't even think to pull away. His brain wasn't functioning properly. Neither of them noticed the snow falling on them.

He continued to kiss Mike and he ran his hands though his pale hair. Dally was amazed at how easily his fingers went through Mike's hair. With Tim, his fingers often got stuck in Tim's thick curls. Mike's hair was rough and coarse and Tim's was silky and soft, even if it was in tangles most of the time.

The Mike kid grabbed Dally's ass, which brought the latter down to Earth with a crash. He pulled away and stared at the kid. Then everything clicked and he remembered something Alicia Shepard had said the night he kissed her a few weeks ago.

"_Yeah, Tim's new frien'. They're like, goin' out, or together or somethin'. Like you two were. I heard one of their phone conversations. Tim said somethin' like he wanted Mitch's body or somethin', an' then he laughed an' said somethin' like Mitch was gonna meet him naked, I dunno." _

Dally's mouth almost dropped open. _Mitch._

That was his name. He was currently kissing the same kid Tim had broken up with him for.

_Fuck_.

He stared at him for a while before he said, "do you know Tim Shepard?"

Mitch nodded. "Who doesn't?"

"No, I mean, do you _know_ him? Personally, I mean."

"I guess. We were sort of friends for a while, then I broke it off. We didn't really… I dunno. Get along."

Dally looked into his eyes and realized that they were nothing like Tim's. Sure, they were blue like Tim's were, maybe even the same shade, but they weren't that dark, smoldering, beautiful blue that Tim's were. And he kissed nothing like Tim did. Tim was demanding and passionate and sweet at the same time, while Mitch was demanding, he didn't have the fire or the almost tenderness that Tim did.

Dally was suddenly acutely aware of the snow on his head and shoulders and how cold it was outside. He brushed the snow off his head and said, "look, I'd better go. It's getting late and I've got shit to do tomorrow." After a moment of awkward silence, he sauntered away.

He felt sort of bad for just leaving, but he didn't know what to do. Besides, what was he supposed to say? "Sorry, I was fucking Tim Shepard, then we broke up, then he started fucking you and I have no fucking clue why I kissed you and now I'm on a slow spiral downward to rock bottom?"

Without looking where he was going, he turned the corner and ran straight into someone.

"Ow! What the fuck?" came a familiar, husky voice from somewhere around his chest area.

Looking down, he realized that he had just run into one Angela Shepard. She was holding hands with some tall, dark-haired kid and she shot Dallas a death glare. "Watch it, asshole," she snarled.

"Sorry," he said quickly, before walking as fast as he could away from her. He could hear her swear to the kid she was with as he practically ran away. What was _with_ the Shepards? Did Tim turn them all against him? It was something Tim would do, Dally reasoned. There was nothing wrong with him. Tim was just being a jackass. _Nothing new there_, he thought bitterly. There was nothing wrong with him. Nothing whatsoever. There was just something wrong with Tim. Nothing wrong with him and everything wrong with Tim.

* * *

Tim noticed that Cassie's hair had gotten longer since he'd last seen her. It used to fall to her chin and now it grazed her shoulders. Maybe she'd colored it, because it looked darker, but maybe that was just because it was winter. She smiled at him and he smiled back, his first real smile in weeks. 

Honestly, Tim didn't know why he called Cassie. He wasn't going to talk to her about Dallas or try to sleep with her or anything. He just wanted someone comforting and nice. Alicia went back to bed and left Tim and Cassie sitting on the couch.

"Your hair looks nice," Tim said, smiling slightly.

Cassie smiled back. "Thanks. You look nice, too." Tim knew that she was lying because he knew that he looked like hell, but it was nice to talk to her again, even if she was lying. His broken nose was hard to overlook.

Tim briefly wondered how he got involved with the girls he did. Cassie and Nini were so different. Cassie was sweet and honest and Nini was bitchy and forward. And Nini was drop-dead gorgeous and Cassie was just pretty. Nothing special but she was pretty.

"How've you been?" he asked.

"Fine," she answered. "And you?"

Tim decided not to be honest. "Fine."

"How are you with the whole… you know Vietnam thing?" Cassie asked carefully.

"Fine," Tim said. She studied his face and he paled. "No, I'm not fine," he admitted. Letting his defenses drop, he added, "I guess you could say that I'm kinda scared."

She nodded sympathetically. "I know." She moved closer to him and put her hand over his. Her hand was smooth and soft and his was dry and calloused. "It's all right."

He shook his head, feeling a prickling behind his eyes. It was the second time in a day he wanted to cry. What was _wrong_ with him? "I can't be afraid. I'm a fucking Shepard. We don't know fear."

Cassie moved closer. "Tim, everyone knows fear, whether they like it or not. Even you. And avoiding it isn't gonna make it go away."

"Avoiding what?"

She rolled her dark eyes. "_This_. Your fear. The fact that you're leaving. Dallas."

He jerked his head to look at her. "I ain't been avoiding Dallas."

"Yes you have. I'll bet you haven't talked since the night you fell out."

Tim pointed at his nose. "Talked to him today and he broke my fucking nose."

She faltered. "Oh. Is he that mad?"

He nodded and let his head fall on her shoulder. She smelled like clean laundry and baby powder. "He hates me."

Cassie put an arm around him. "He doesn't hate you," she whispered. He moved closer to her and their sides were touching.

Tim didn't care how pathetic he was being. He felt horrible and just wanted sympathy. Tears formed and he didn't care if Cassie saw them. He was leaving, Dallas hated him, Nini hated him and he'd just hit rock bottom.

Cassie stroked his hair. It was something his mother used to do if he couldn't sleep. It made him tired and it was soothing. "You're okay, Tim. You're okay," she whispered.

* * *

Dally got Tim's new apartment address from Buck Merrill, who got it from Curly. On the walk there, he practiced what he was going to say. _Tim, I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions and punched you in the face when you were trying to apologize. That was fucking stupid and I'm sorry_. _I'm also sorry that I made out with your exboyfriend. That was also stupid and I'msorry. I love you_. 

He stared at the door and took a deep breath. It was now or never. He knocked.

Tim answered. Dally inhaled, sharply. There was Tim, a few inches away from him. Tim. It was Tim, and he looked so beautiful and sad and confused and he was staring at Dallas and Dally suddenly felt small. There was a girl, the one with brown hair and pretty eyes, sitting on the couch behind him and Dally looked at her for a moment.

Tim raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Dally stared at him. Tim's nose looked like he'd run headfirst into a wall. "Sorry about your nose," he managed to blurt out.

Tim raised his eyebrows again. "Yeah." He shifted uncomfortably from his left foot to his right and looked at the ground. "It's fine." Then he looked up at Dally.

Dally wondered what was wrong with Tim. He looked so sad. Dally had never seen Tim sad. He'd seen Tim angry and happy and excited and tired but never sad. He briefly considered asking Tim what was wrong, why he was so sad and why they'd ever fallen out, but he didn't. Instead he forced a smile, swore in his mind and said, "sorry," again.

Tim didn't respond. Dally looked at him painfully and turned to go. One third of him wanted to get the fuck out of the apartment building because it smelled like cats and it was too claustrophobic and Tim was there, looking so beautiful and so sad and the second third wanted to hit Tim again and ask him if he was really that stupid and what was going through his head when he broke it off and the last third just wanted to crumple and die.

Eventually, the last third won and he walked away, leaving Tim standing in the doorway.

* * *

Tim turned around and looked at Cassie. She was staring at him like he sprouted two heads. "So that's it?" she asked. 

"What?"

She looked like she was trying to not roll her eyes. "You're just gonna let him walk away from you like that?" At Tim's blank look, she kept going. "He came here to apologize. You should've apologized, too. About everything"

"What? You were the one who told me to break it off in the first place!" Tim shouted.

Cassie didn't look fazed andshe held his gaze calmly. "I know. And I've done some thinking. And I think that you should tell Dallas that you didn't mean it. Sorry I gave you bad advice. I had a bad feeling about it when I told you. Look, Tim, I'm sorry that I gave you that advice, so don't give me that look."

Tim fell down beside her. He was too miserable to even fight with her. "It's okay, Cassie. I shouldn't've done it, anyways." Cassie was murmuring something in his ear that he didn't understand, but it sounded nice and it made him drowsy. For the first time in weeks, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *


End file.
